Both of these biblical texts, so different at first glance, reflect a single understanding of life. The foundation of the understanding of life in Ecclesiastes is, perhaps, that within the framework of earthly life everything that seems valuable and significant to man is, in fact, vanity and a chasing after the wind...
Both of these biblical texts, so different at first glance, reflect a single understanding of life.
The foundation of the understanding of life in Ecclesiastes is, perhaps, that within the framework of earthly life everything that seems valuable and significant to man is, in fact, vanity and a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes seeks and finds nothing on earth to which the heart should be attached, which could become a source of happiness, a source of life for man. Even wisdom and moderation, so valued by the ancients, give us nothing but privation, even voluntary privation. Only in God does Ecclesiastes hope to find meaning; but God remains incomprehensible and distant to him. To draw near to Him is hardly possible for man.
The understanding of life in Ecclesiastes is colored by inescapable sorrow, because in this life he sees suffering and emptiness behind everything. The book ends with an unspoken hope for "that day" when the sun and stars will grow dim, and this earthly world will come to its end. The "Day of the Lord," the "Day of Judgment," as the great prophets of the Old Testament called it, may perhaps give man some understanding of the meaning of existence. But the light of this hope is hidden from Ecclesiastes; written in the period between the return from the Babylonian captivity and the coming of Christ, this book sums up the hopeless, joyless, and meaningless existence of man before Christ. The sorrow of Ecclesiastes is such that nothing earthly can quench it, and in this lies the greatest realism of this book.
The fundamental meaning of the understanding of life behind the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount is that only God Himself can be the answer to all our questions. The only thing that can be the purpose and meaning of human life is God Himself. Not something proceeding from Him, not earthly life in itself, nor even eternity can quench the thirst resounding in the words of Ecclesiastes. Only God… And the most important thing that the Lord Jesus proclaimed to people is that God has come to us to give us meaning, joy, and life. Even suffering becomes for us not just a symptom of mortality, but a meeting place with the Incomprehensible. Deeds of mercy and the fulfillment of the law, meekness and the rejection of violence, love for people itself — everything gains meaning only because here we find God. "The kingdom of heaven is at hand," the Lord repeats more than once in the Gospel. That Kingdom where life finds meaning, that for which it would be worth living, is inaccessible to us — but this Kingdom itself has drawn near to us out of God's great love.
In Christ, man finds what Ecclesiastes sought and did not find. But nowhere else but in Him can this be found — in this both the book of Ecclesiastes and the Sermon on the Mount converge. Of course, this answer is necessarily brief and most likely incomplete. If we briefly answer your second question in the same way, it will be something like this: The purpose of our life is God Himself, a Person whom one can love, seek, comprehend, and trust. At the same time, the purpose of our life is to fulfill God's design for us: to bring His love into the created world, to serve as a creative principle in the world. This is possible for us only together with God; by ourselves we can create nothing but chaos. These two aspects of the purpose of our life unite in the possibility of being the presence of God in this world, a Temple of the Holy Spirit, as the apostle Paul expresses it.
The meaning of life is thus hidden in the Almighty Himself. As Saint Augustine, the great Christian thinker of the late 4th — early 5th centuries, said addressing God: "You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You." The Lord Jesus Christ Himself expressed this mystery in the words of a prayer addressed to the Father: "That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us." The love that unites us with God to the very depths of our and His nature — this, perhaps, is the meaning of our life. The value of human life I would measure by God's love for each of us. We are weak, empty, and barren; our life often seems worthless to us. But God loves us not because we are good, but because He is God. And we are valuable not because we are good, but because we are loved by Him.
It is unlikely that this answer can claim completeness and objectivity. But, I hope it is direct enough. Practice shows that it hides a wonderful power of life; moreover, it is important to bear in mind that when we meet God, questions disappear. Not that we receive answers, — but there comes a moment when you forget about questions and begin to live, because God Himself is the answer to everything.
21 Ahab covets Naboth's vineyard, Ki1 21:1-4.
Jezebel procures Naboth to be stoned, Ki1 21:5-14.
Ahab goes to take possession, Ki1 21:15-16.
Elijah meets him, and denounces the judgment of God, Ki1 21:17-24.
Upon his humiliation a reprieve is granted, Ki1 21:25-29.
21:19 Saying - Thou hast murdered an innocent man; and instead of repenting for it, hast added another piece of injustice and violenceto it, and art going confidently and chearfully to reap the fruit ofthy wickedness. Thy blood - The threatening was so directed at first;but afterwards, upon his humiliation, the punishment was transferredfrom him to his son, as is expressed, ver. Ki1 21:29,yet upon Ahab's returning to sin, in the next chapter, he brings backthe curse upon himself, and so it is no wonder if it be in some sortfulfilled in him also.
21:20 Hast thou found - Dost thou pursue me from place to place?Wilt thou never let me rest? Art thou come after me hither with thyunwelcome messages? Thou art always disturbing, threatening, and opposingme. I have - The hand of God hath found and overtaken thee. Soldthyself - Thou hast wholly resigned up thyself to be the bondslave of thedevil, as a man that sells himself to another is totally in his master'spower. To work evil, etc - Impudently and contemptuously. Those whogive themselves up to sin will certainly be found out, sooner or later,to their unspeakable amazement.
21:23 By the wall - Or, in the portion, as it is explained Ki2 9:36.
21:24 Him that dieth, etc - Punishments after death are here most insisted on. And these, tho' lighting on the body only, yet undoubtedlywere designed as figures of the soul's misery in an after state.
21:25 Was none - None among all the kings of Israel which hadbeen before him. Whom Jezebel - This is added to shew, that temptationsto sin are no excuse to the sinner.
21:27 Softly - Slowly and silently, after the manner of mourners, or those who are under a great consternation.
21:29 Humbleth himself - His humiliation was real, though not lasting, and accordingly pleasing to God. This discovers the great goodness of God,and his readiness to shew mercy. It teaches us to take notice of that whichis good, even in the worst of men. It gives a reason why wicked personsoften prosper: God rewards what little good is in them. And it encouragestrue penitents. If even Ahab goes to his house reprieved, doubtlessthey shall go to their houses justified.