King Solomon was the wisest king to have ruled Israel. In the book of Ecclesiastes, he commented on the meaninglessness of life and questioned the purpose of man’s existence. After he had done everything “under the sun,” he described his experience as “meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” He had not denied his eyes of seeing all the world had to offer, nor his flesh any enjoyment. In the end, he realized that the whole duty of man was to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NIV). If the wisest and richest king made such observations about humanity, it is appropriate that we put our lives on pause to ponder these fundamental, yet vital, questions. Sadly our lives are too busy!
Whether it is work commitments, that promotion we’re working our socks off to achieve, or that degree for which we are aspiring, we seem busy all the time. These goals may be commendable; however, we may have lost sight of why we are achieving them. As a writer, I too have asked myself this question. Am I writing as a way of showing off how good I am in the English language? Why do we do all the things in which we are so engrossed? There are as many answers as there are motivations for doing the things we do. Whatever the reasons-have we asked ourselves whether God is the single most important factor in what we are striving to achieve?
At the beginning of creation, God intended for man to manage his earthly domain. To enable man to carry out this task, He infused into him the very characteristic nature of Himself- hence, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness and let them rule over the fish of the sea…” (Genesis 1:26). Thus, man was to receive power and authority to effectively carry out his responsibilities in accordance with God’s laws. Unfortunately, with Adam’s rejection of God’s rule over him, man lost sight of his purpose. What was the result of this sudden shift in relationship with God?
Mankind sought refuge in things other than God. We elevate materialism to the position once occupied by God. We find solace by inventing and evolving political systems, ideologies, philosophies, and knowledge. Solomon described these strivings as “vanity.” To prove this point, we seem lost without our ideologies, gadgets, and other things to which we have attached ourselves. It is almost as if these things are our lives. They were not meant to fill the void inside of us.
Solomon did all there is to enjoy “life” yet did not find satisfaction. David, his father and another great king, questioned the purpose of man:
“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life…Each man’s life is but a breath. Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro…he heaps up wealth not knowing who will get it” (Psalms 39:4-6).
We work so hard to make money and get all the trappings of the world. What we often fail to notice is these trappings are meant only as a means to an end, rather than an end in themselves. Solomon expressed this sentiment clearly when he said:
“I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?..This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19).
the ‘economic’ issue
The central issue of economics is how to use prudently, the scarce resources at our disposal to satisfy our insatiable desires. In order to solve this problem, we often prioritise our needs putting them on a scale-with (what we consider) the most pressing need occupying the top spot. We then decide to forego the items that may not be very important in order to get what we most need. Similarly, the central issue with humanity is how to regain our salvation-something we lost as a result of disobedience.
In order to achieve this goal, we must again draw a scale of preferences putting God first and relegating the many things which have taken His place. The apostle Paul puts this into context in his letter to the church in Corinth:
“Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power” (1 Corinthians 6:12 Amplified).
Although everything is permissible, there are things that, when allowed to dominate one’s life, would eventually take the place of God. This would be vanity. This may be avoided when we prioritize our lives and build into our lives “treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19).
So what practical steps can we take to put God first in our lives?
- Understand the whole purpose and duties of man (Genesis 1:26-29) and walk in it.
- Put God first in the center of everything we do (Proverbs 3:5-60).
- Acknowledge God as the source of life, power, and authority, and seek His help.
- Avoid the vanities of this world and the incorrect focus on material wealth.
- Submit every thought, imagination, and idea to the Word of God (Psalm 37:5).
- In the words of Solomon, “fear God and obey His commandments for that is the whole duty of man.”
