“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” Ecclesiastes 1:2 NLT

That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion; Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT

King Solomon was King David’s son, and he became King after his father died. One of the first things Solomon did was to pray to God and ask for wisdom so that he could rule God’s people the Israelites well. God answered Solomon’s prayer and gave him wisdom.

Wisdom is knowing what is right and doing it. Wisdom is not just knowing facts or being smart, it is learning from your experiences and making good choices for yourself and being kind to others.

In the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible, Solomon, the Teacher, begins by saying that life, everything, is meaningless. Our first verse. All humans, those who are good and those who are evil, come to the same end, death. Solomon sets out on his own journey to find meaning in life.

Solomon looks at the earth that never changes. The sun rises and sets, the wind blows, the rivers run into the sea, things stay the same, nothing changes.

Then Solomon chooses to do only those things that please him. He eats his favorite foods, builds himself a huge home, gets gold and silver, gets everything that he thinks will make him happy. But he is not happy. Life will still end the same.

But as Solomon looks at life, he sees that all the things that people enjoy; food to eat, things to drink, even work, wisdom and knowledge, and joy are blessings, gifts from God. God has planned for the sun to rise and set, for the seasons to come and go, for planting and harvesting, for even crying and laughing, for sadness and celebrating, and ever for war and peace. God has made everything beautiful!

And when Solomon realizes that all we have and enjoy is from God, he comes to his conclusion in our second verse. Solomon says that it is the duty of every human being to fear God (which means to respect, admire, and hold in awe all that God is) and to obey His commands. Like honor your parents, be kind to others, don’t lie, and love God.

This week talk with your parents about Solomon and wisdom. How could you choose to be wise? Make a list of the blessings God has given to your family and you. When we focus on God, we can be wise like Solomon.

Blessings and joy as you fear God and obey His commands in your life!