Readings for today: Ecclesiastes 1-6
Robin Williams. Kate Spade. Anthony Bourdain. These are the famous faces of suicide. I could name several more from my own community who are not as famous. Kids. Young adults. Men and women in their late fifties and early sixties who feel they have nothing left to live for. According to the CDC, suicide rates have increased an astronomical 36% in the last twenty years. And though there was an apparent decrease in 2019-2020, as they process the post-pandemic data, rates are expected to go up once again. It is now the 11th leading cause of death. The factors influencing suicidal ideation are manifold. Mental health problems. Relationship issues. Job loss. Financial pressures. Substance abuse. Post-pandemic stress and anxiety. And it often strikes without warning. Colorado has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation and Douglas County, where I live, struggles significantly with this issue. I remember four teenagers in our area taking their own lives several years ago in the span of just 11 days! Sadly, it’s unfortunately a rare year when our church doesn’t perform the funeral of at least one suicide victim.
“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) The writer of Ecclesiastes (traditionally ascribed to Solomon) clearly takes a dim view of life. Work is vanity. Riches are vanity. Pleasure is vanity. Success is vanity. Wisdom is vanity. All is vanity. What do we gain by working so hard? No one remembers us after we’re gone. Our wealth is passed on to another to enjoy. The righteous and unrighteous both die and are laid in the grave. All end up as dust. Clearly the Teacher is depressed. He looks around at all he has accomplished in his life and abandons all hope. He finds no meaning in anything he has done or accomplished. All he has to show for all his hard work and toil and pursuit of wisdom is sorrow, grief, and pain. It’s not easy to read. It’s feels like we’re reading the Teacher’s personal journal and hearing his inmost thoughts as he grapples with despair.
One of the things I love most about the Bible is its honesty. It is raw and gut-wrenching at times. It never sugar-coats or glosses over the harsh realities of life. Solomon, in all his wisdom, struggled with depression. Solomon, for all his wealth and power, felt inadequate. Solomon, for all his success and achievement, felt insecure. I imagine everyone can identify with him on some level. No matter how much you achieve. How much you accumulate. How popular you become. It’s never enough. It’s all vanity and a striving after the wind.
So what’s the answer? We’ll find out when we finish the book tomorrow. After all has been said and done, the Teacher comes to one final, critically important conclusion. “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13) In fact, some suggest we need to read Ecclesiastes back to front instead of front to back. I disagree. I believe it is important for us to follow the Teacher’s example. Grapple with our own darkness and despair. Face our depression and anxiety and fear. Honestly come to grips with our utter hopelessness without Christ. What makes Ecclesiastes so powerful even to this day is the way it speaks to our hearts about idolatry. We have a tendency to place our trust in our own wisdom. Our own strength. Our own accomplishments. Our own wealth. Our own toil and hard work. Our pursuit of pleasure. Ecclesiastes exposes these idols as empty and meaningless which, in turn, points us back to God.
Readings for tomorrow: Ecclesiastes 7-12