Without God - Part 4: The Wise, Too, Must Die

 

“For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!”

—Ecclesiastes 2:16

In the midst of considering his life, now that he is approaching the end of it, King Solomon shares these thoughts, as recorded in Ecclesiastes 2:12-16:

Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done?

I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.

Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?”

I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.” For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!

Some think that Solomon was far too concerned about his life and what he had done than was healthy for him. But, as I suggested in yesterday’s blog post, it is often good for us to take stock of where we’ve been, what we’ve accomplished, and where we intend to go.

My dear friend, Wayne Moore, in observing the timeline of most men’s careers, once remarked: “In our careers we go from ‘Who’s he?’ to ‘Who’s who!’ to ‘Who cares?’” I chuckle every time I think about that because I know many who have experienced such a career arc, including me.

Within the narrow context of what we do for a living, men often define their existence by what they’ve accomplished and, especially, what other people think about what they’ve accomplished.

I believe women view this quite differently. Most women skillfully and devotedly play many roles in their lives: daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, career person, and so forth. Men, on the other hand, seem to really play only one or two roles—at least to the extent of where they place the most of their energy.

So, for a man, when his career ends at retirement—or, in some unfortunate cases, even earlier—he begins to sense the loss of his identity that he has forged in his career. That’s why so many older men seem to be driven to find relevancy in their dotage.

But, God uses the people He has chosen to belong to Himself at all of the phases of their lives. That’s why the Bible urges young men to learn from older men. And, the Apostle Paul has given older men and older women key places in the development of the spiritual formation for the younger members of their churches (1 Timothy 5).

As we consider the beginning of a new day, if we are younger, we should look to those men and women who are older for their wisdom and grace. If we are older, we should willingly share the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that God has given us over the course of our lives. Together, we can continue to serve in the way God has provided, no matter what age we may have reached.

All the while, we can celebrate the great joy that we have in fellowship with one another. We can also know that our relevance comes from God, not from what we have done in our careers. It is what we have done for Him that really has eternal value.

In previous blog posts, I have quoted the inspirational poem by C. T. Studd. But, this poem seems particularly appropriate today:

Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart:
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in “that day” my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat:
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice;
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave:
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
living for self or in His will:
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

When this bright world would tempt me sore,
When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way,
Then help me Lord with joy to say:
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Give me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life:
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Oh, let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne:
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say, “Thy will be done.”
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “’twas worth it all”:
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

 

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