Bruce Collins, Evangelist

Ecclesiastes 11:8 But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.

Solomon authored the major part of three books. Proverbs is the practical wisdom of a spiritual man and seems to have been written when Solomon was enjoying fellowship with the Lord. The Song of Solomon is a poem that expresses the spiritual wisdom of a spiritual man who is in fellowship with the Lord. Ecclesiastes seems to be the worldly wisdom of a man who had lost his fellowship with the Lord in order to enjoy this life and now realizes that he has made some great mistakes. Solomon shares his experience with us so that we can avoid those same mistakes.

Solomon tells us is that no matter how many houses we build, no matter how much pleasure we enjoy, no matter how much honor we get, there will be dark days. Some think those dark days occur in this life and are days of trial. Some think those dark days are the days we spend in the grave after we die. Either way, Solomon was depressed and says that everything in life is simply like chasing the wind. I find that interesting because Solomon had everything that most of us strive for in this life.

I believe that Solomon was truly saved but that he made some bad choices. However, the Lord has certainly shown us that we who are saved do not always enjoy the blessings that God has in store for us on this side of eternity. Solomon was raised by David who was always loyal to the worship of Jehovah. Solomon had heard the voice of God speaking to him as he began his earthly reign. Even so, Solomon made it possible for his wives to introduce the worship of other Gods into the religious life of Israel. He likely did it to please the women whom he had married in order to establish peace treaties with the nations around him. He probably thought that in a practical way it made sense. But what he did was wrong. If a man of his intellect and background could do this, could we? Of course we could, and then we too could end up as depressed as he ended up.

What does he advise us to do at the end of his life? His advice is to remember our Creator in the days of our youth before the evil days come. That we have a Creator to me is self-evident. Who that Creator is and how to worship Him may require some honest searching, but to know the One who made us and to look forward to meeting Him after we die is the only thing that makes sense out of this life of guns and wars and hate and crime and famine and disease. Solomon seems to understand at the end of his life that a life without God is an empty life. I believe it reduces us to random blobs in a random universe that makes absolutely no sense. But a life where we know and trust in the Living God of heaven is a life that can satisfy even when life doesn’t make sense. And I will admit that life often doesn’t make sense.

I am thankful that I have enjoyed a relationship with the Lord for over forty years. Looking back, the years have passed very quickly. Much of life happened while I was just trying to survive and has amounted to nothing. But I believe that Paul was divinely inspired when he gives us great hope in the future by telling us that to depart and to be with Christ is far better than living down here (Philippians 1:23). That is the cure for the days of darkness and gives us something for which we can be thankful.

Bruce Collins