A challenge for my fellow academics
Read Ecclesiastes. I'm serious. Here's a peek at it:
What does man gain by all the toil
at which he toils under the sun?
A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
and hastens to the place where it rises.
The wind blows to the south
and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns
All streams run to the sea,
to the place where the streams flow,
All things are full of weariness;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said,
There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things yet to be
among those who come after.
It's full of poetry, rich language, and It's the only book of philosophy that gives true hope at the end. It covers everything.
It was written by Solomon, who was a king of ancient Israel. It says in 1 Kings 10: 23 that "King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom." He was the wisest, as well as the richest man in the world. This guy had access to everything. That's important to know as you read.
Another thing: in Ecclesiastes, it mentions the fear of the Lord/fear of God often. When it says this, it does not mean fear as in you're scared of God. It means a deep reverence, an awe that leads you to honor and obey God.
Coming off of that, when it mentions wisdom, it does not mean mere book knowledge or logical prowess. It is using the definition of wisdom in Proverbs 1:7, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." In the Bible, when it talks about true wisdom, it means a reverence and honor and obedience of God. First, you must agree with God about who you are and who he is, then through that lens you can properly view the world. I pretty much gave away Ecclesiastes right there. :)
Using that definition of wisdom, a foolish person would be a person who hates God, scoffs at God, doesn't believe God exists, doesn't obey or desire to obey God, and doesn't want to listen to a wise person who tells them to fear God.
Defining terms is always helpful. I hope that was helpful for you guys!
Also, it's important to read to the end to get the point of Ecclesiastes. And I would also recommend reading it through in one sitting. If you finish it and want more, I would recommend the whole Bible. But for more specific direction, Genesis explains the beginning of the world, John explains Jesus, Proverbs talks about wisdom, and Ephesians explains the gospel.
My biggest challenge to you, my fellow academics, is not simply to read Ecclesiastes, but to inspect your own heart as you read. Be brutally honest with yourself. Are you truly wise, or are you striving after wind? Is your life vanity?
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