I'd like to draw your attention to the book of Ecclesiastes. It's a very interesting book, and I always enjoy reading and studying it. When I started my ministry in Asansol, we used to preach in the church from different parts of the Bible. But there was one brother who visited us, and since we were so young and inexperienced in our ministry, he suggested that instead of preaching here and there, I should take up a book, study it, and preach the Word. That way, I could study, and the church would also get an idea of the book I was teaching. He said that when we preach from various passages, people listen and then forget what they've heard. That sounded good to me; it was a great idea he'd given.

I had two selfish agendas behind it. One was that I would study the book as I learned it for preaching. Second, you know what it is? When we were taught homiletics, the art of preaching, one of the greatest challenges for a preacher is to find the passage. If you know which passage you are preaching from, then you can prepare all the tools for your messages. But when you know the entire book from which you are going to preach, there's no need to find a passage each time. So, this was the first book I studied and preached entirely in our assembly. And this book has impacted me a lot. I started loving this book and gained a different experience and perspective on my life and the lives of others.

Have you ever read this book entirely? Anyone? Did you understand anything from this book? Sometimes, when we read Ecclesiastes, we don't understand anything. Sometimes we think we are understanding, but by the end of the chapter, we get confused and wonder what this person wants to tell us. On one hand, the writer says, "Vanity, vanity, everything is vanity." And on the other hand, he says, "Do this, do that, do this, do that," and gives so many other instructions.

Now, when we were in school, we used to use this book for our own convenience. When you didn't want to study, you'd say, "See, the Bible says all knowledge and wisdom are vanity." Many people have misunderstood this book and used it according to their own conveniences. They've taken this book to either extreme. Some people said, "See, this book tells everything is vanity, therefore nothing is good. Let's go to the mountains and sit there." And some other people took it to another extreme: "Because nothing is good, why care? Let's enjoy our life." That's a stretch of the book.

This book is very important, and we should take time to study it. It took one year for me to finish this book in the church, and I don't have enough time because tomorrow I have to catch my flight back to Asansol. So, we'll go through this book and understand some important themes which the author wants to put in front of us. I pray and wish, and it's my earnest prayer, that it should impact my life and your life, and it should change our idea towards life, towards the God who has created everything.

Now, let us look into what this book is saying. This book comes under the wisdom literature of the Bible. It talks about the wisdom which is necessary for our life. This book begins with the words, "Chapter one, verse one: The words of the Teacher, son of David, king of Jerusalem." Many people have different thoughts about the author of this book. Some people believe that it is Hezekiah who is writing this book. But according to the traditions of the Jewish religion, many rabbinic scholars believe that it was Solomon who wrote this book. Because the way this book is written, Solomon fits the character and qualifications necessary to write such a book. The author doesn't explicitly state his name, but he refers to himself as a "Teacher" in this book. The Hebrew word used there is Kohelet. Kohelet means to bring people together and to teach them, to assemble people to teach them something good, some wisdom. So, if the author is Solomon, he is calling everyone to sit down and listen to wisdom about his life. He's taking time to bring young people and middle-aged people to come and listen to him about his life and how he lived it.

Most of us know about the life of Solomon. I will quickly go through his life. Later, you can go and read the first 15 chapters of 1 Kings. You will know who Solomon was and what his life was all about. He was considered one of the most brilliant kings in Israel. The Bible says that there was no one like him in Israel, neither in Egypt, nor anywhere. In his young age, he becomes king of Israel, and he desires God's wisdom and prays for it to rule the people of Israel. And we know how God grants him the wisdom to rule the people of Israel. When he was young, he writes one beautiful book, which is mentioned in the Bible, and it is called Song of Songs. It speaks about a relationship between a husband and a wife—the lovemaking, the love, and a close relationship between a husband and a wife. Many people believe that Song of Solomon is a story about Christ and his bride, the Church. Personally, if you ask me, I find it a little difficult to believe that it is about Christ and the Church, because the idea of the Church is totally foreign to Solomon and all the prophets in the Old Testament. And if you read the Jewish tradition, this Song of Songs was read by young couples even before or after their marriage. So, Solomon is young when he writes the Song of Songs, energetic and romantic, expressing his love towards his partner.

Now Solomon is growing. He is in his middle age. He has learned so many things from the world. He has observed so many things in the world, and now in his middle age, he is writing this book of Proverbs, teaching what is right and what is wrong, coming to a conclusion that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But we know how his life was in turmoil after some time. He had married several women in his time—700 wives and 300 concubines! What a life! Many times, we wonder how he would have managed it. But for kings to have a number of wives was common in those days. It was more often a peace treaty between two nations. If your neighbor country is disturbing you, marry his daughter. Isn't that a good idea? No father-in-law will disturb his daughter's house, right? Probably Solomon's marriages were moreover peace treaties among the nations. But that led him to commit sin. Solomon turned to idolatry. Solomon turned to a life away from God.

Now, when he comes to his old age, he is looking back into his life, and he sees and pities himself for what he has done with his life. And he says, "Vanity, everything is vanity." Now that is the first theme that Solomon brings in this book. Verse 2 of chapter 1. My Bible says, "The absolute futility," says the Teacher. When you read it in the original language, you may have the word "says" in your Bible, "S-A-Y-S says the Teacher, everything is futility." But when you read that phrase in the original language, it says that "the Teacher is lamenting by saying everything is futile. Everything is futile, everything is meaningless."

Now I would like to ask you all a question: How many of you are satisfied with your life? I'm not seeing any hands. Are you satisfied with your job? Satisfied with your children? Satisfied with your life? Satisfied with the salary which you're getting? Satisfied with your church? Don't raise your hand. Solomon says everything is futile. Life is like an onion: you peel one cover after the other, and there is nothing inside. Solomon has some reasons to say why this life is futile. Now when he says the life is futile, the word which is used in the original language is Hebel, which means smoke. Like smoke, it looks dense. But when you go and hold it and open your fist, there is nothing inside. Life is like that. There is nothing meaningful in life. So, he's lamenting over his life. He's saying the life is futile. And then when we come to verse number three, he says, "Whatever man does, all his effort, his labor under the sun is futile." He says everything is futile.

Have you ever thought why we should listen to Solomon? When he says everything is futile, why should we listen to him? Now, I don't have enough money in my hand. I'm not a very rich person. And when I say that richness is futile, should you listen to me? Probably I am a tenth pass, and when I say that education is futile, should you listen to me? Should you? When I am poor, can I say that richness is futile? You will say, "Fellow, you don't have anything, and you are saying that richness is futile." When I say if I am only 10th pass, and when I say education is futile, you will say, "You have not learned anything, and now you're saying everything is futile." In Hindi, they say, you know that story? The fox who was jumping for the grapes on the tree? The fox is hungry. It wants some food. It sees the grapes on the tree and starts jumping to get those grapes. It jumps and jumps, not able to reach the grapes. And after some time, what does it say? It gets frustrated and says, "I don't want these grapes because these are bitter, sour." In Malayalam, they say, "Kitata mundri pulikkyu." So yeah, when you don't have anything, you can easily say that it is futile. But Solomon is not like that.

I want you to walk through his life. Shall we turn our Bibles to 1 Kings chapter 4? Look at what kind of life this man had. Now it says that this man was a rich man. When we read from verse number 20 to 25, we understand that Solomon was a rich man. He had huge provisions in his palace. Verse 21 says that he ruled from the Euphrates to the land of Palestine, as far as the border of Egypt. In verse 20, it says that they were eating, drinking, and rejoicing in the time of Solomon. Look at the meal, the ration that he needed in a day to feed his palace—that's written in verse number 22 and 23. And Solomon had a huge army, so many chariots and 12,000 horsemen. And his wisdom was greater. When we come to verse number 31, it says that he was wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Chalcol, and Darda. When we come to verse number 32, it says that he has written 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. He describes trees from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop, a small grass outside his wall. And he talks about animals, birds, reptiles, and fishes. And verse 34 says, people came to hear his wisdom.

This man is special. This man is not an ordinary man. He is probably the richest king in Israel. He is the wisest king in the land. He is wiser than the wise men in the land. He is a poet. He is well-versed in botany. He is well-versed in the knowledge of animals. He is good in theology. And there are people who are coming to listen and to see what he is doing. I would like to have a life like this. I would like to have a comfortable life like this. There was no war in the time of Solomon. There was peace in the land of Solomon, and there was enough gold during the time of Solomon. The Bible says that there was so much gold that silver was considered as dust. Silver had no value in the time of Solomon. Now we count gold in grams and pounds. When we read 1 Kings and when we read about the treasures of Solomon, gold was not weighed in pounds and grams. It was weighed in tons and tons of gold which was coming from different parts of the world.

Solomon had everything what a man can expect in his life. Solomon had everything that man can desire in his life. But he is saying everything is vanity. That's why you should listen to Solomon. After having everything, he is saying that everything is vanity. You are running after money. I have it and I know that it is vanity. You are running after pleasures. I have it and I know that it is vanity. You are running after fame and name. You are running after wisdom. I know I have it and I know that it is vanity. Vanity. But why? Don't we desire all these things in our life? Why is he saying that it is vanity? Why is he saying that whatever is under the sun is all vanity? Because he wants you to look beyond the sun. He wants us to look beyond the sun—the God who is beyond the sun. The main idea of this book is that Solomon is encouraging us to look into the God who is beyond the sun. If you try to live a life without God, oh, in the language of Solomon, it is vanity. It is foolishness. It is meaningless.

Why is it meaningless? When we read the first chapter, when we read from verse number four downwards, he says life is futile because it is meaningless, because there is one generation coming and there is another going. Wind is flowing from one side and it's going towards the other, and then it is coming back. There is no meaning in life. The first reason why life is futile: You do so many things, and when he comes to verse number 11, he says there is no memory of those who came before you. After doing everything in your life, one day you will be forgotten. And that scares Solomon a lot. After gaining so much riches, after gaining so much knowledge, after gaining so much fame, so much riches, so many things in life, when all the focus was on you and you alone. Solomon says, one day you will be forgotten. And he says, that's why life is frustrating, and that's why it is all vanity.

Have you ever thought about it, dear brothers and sisters? One day we will be forgotten. How many of you know the name of your father? Can you raise your hand? I don't want to... uh... like... tease you by saying this. How many of you know the name of your grandfather? Some hands are less. How many of you know the name of your great-grandfather? Less... lesser hands. How many of you know the name of your great-great-grandfather? How many of you know the name of your great-great-great-grandfather? Maybe a few hundred years, right? People are forgotten. Our knowledge, our fame, it will be forgotten. Today we may think that it is we and only us who are important. But one day Solomon says that this knowledge will go away. We will not be there in the memories of people. Only a few, few, only a few years have passed away, and we have forgotten the people. People run after fame, thinking that it can give some meaning to their life. People run after money to gain significance in their life. Solomon says, "I have done it all, but there is nothing on that way." One day I will be forgotten. And that scares Solomon a lot.

Are we satisfied in our life? I have heard people saying this: "Oh, earlier we had only 5,000 rupees salary. Now we are having 50,000 rupees salary, but still it is not enough." Then we have 1 lakh rupees salary, and still it is not enough. Then we have more money, but still it is not enough. We have one phone, and after sometimes we feel that it is not enough. We buy another phone, and after some time, we think that, "Oh, it is old; this is not enough." Now that's what the idea the world gives you. All these advertising companies are doing this. Is there anyone from an advertising company here? All the advertisements tell you, "Your phone is not enough. When you have this phone, your life will be significant. Your bike is not enough. When you have this bike, your life will be significant. Your house, this house is not enough. When you have this particular house, your life will be significant." All very tiresome. It's all tiring. That's what Solomon says: "Vanity. Everything is vanity." The first reason why this life is vanity, Solomon says, is that you will be forgotten.

Isn't it frustrating? Once Edmund Hillary, you know that name, Edmund Hillary. This was a man who first climbed the Everest peak. And if people asked him, "Sir, how did you feel reaching at the pinnacle of the earth?" he said, "I felt a... I had that triumph and ecstasy when I reached the summit. But that triumph did not last for long." Because after some time, I was worried, thinking, "What's next in my life?" What's next in our life? Have you ever thought about it? You have everything what you wanted to have. What is next? Solomon says this is very tiresome. Even after having everything, life is difficult.

There's one verse that I would like to read: Verse number 12 and 13. Yeah. "I wanted to seek and explore things by my wisdom under the heaven." And Solomon is saying that God has given this great miserable task by which the people are occupied. He's saying that attaining wisdom is a miserable task that God has given to you. Why is it so miserable, and why did God give us this? Has God given us this miserable task to run after all the riches and to run after the things of this world? Have you ever thought about it? When did God give them this task?

I would like to take your attention to Genesis chapter 3. That was the first Bible study in the history of humanity, where the serpent is asking a question, and Eve is exposing the Word of God. Now the Bible says man and woman were naked. What do you mean by nakedness? You may say people without clothes, right? The Word of God wants to say something more beyond our nakedness. The word which is used there, 'arum' for nakedness, it talks about a different meaning as well. When we read Genesis chapter 42 verse 9, can anyone read it for me? Genesis chapter 42 verse 9. What does nakedness mean there? What do you mean by nakedness there? In my Bible translation, it talks about the vulnerability of the land. It talks about the weakness of the land.

Now when the Bible says that Adam and Eve were naked, they were not just without clothes, but they were vulnerable in their existence. But there was no shame between Adam and Eve because Adam never saw anything that could exploit him in Eve. And Eve never saw anything in Adam that could exploit her. Therefore, there was no shame between them. But because man was vulnerable, because man was weak, God has equipped mankind with his commandments. What was the command? "You can eat all the fruits which are there in this garden. You should not touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Why did God say that? Have you ever thought about why did God say that you should not eat this fruit? Because in the vulnerability of humanity, in their weakness, they cannot handle good and evil.

The God of the Bible is a God of double standards. Is that a heresy? I will give you an example. Why we believe that God has double standards. Now you have a small boy in your house, probably a year old or probably 6 months old boy. And you see him playing with knives. What will you do? What will you do? Stop him? Take that knife out of his hand? My mother used to slap me on my hand and used to say, "Don't ever touch this." That's one thing. But you... take that knife to the kitchen table. You wash that knife, and you use the same knife to cut the vegetable. Isn't it a double standard? On one side you are saying not to use it. On the other side you yourself are using it. Why you stopped your child? Why? Vulnerable. Your child doesn't know how to handle the knife. You are very skillful in using the knife. Adam and Eve were vulnerable, and they did not know how to handle good and evil. That's why God said not to eat the fruit.

But then comes Mr. Serpent. Listen to me very carefully. Three words. One. Says, "Serpent was the most shrewd animal among all." Shrewdness, good or bad? What do you mean by shrewdness? Cunning. How do you explain shrewdness? Not good? Very good. Shrewdness is a way of doing things which cannot be done. The way of doing things in a better way. Now, if we say that Satan was shrewd, and shrewdness is not good, but a page before, God says that his entire creation was very good. Then how come shrewdness, which was created by God, is not good? Not just that, when we read the book of Proverbs, the main theme of the Proverbs in chapter number 8 verse 5, it says that this book is written to make simple shrewd. So that the simple can become shrewd. So that the simple, one who is unknown, should learn how to do things better. So till verse 1 of chapter 3, shrewdness was not bad. But when we come down and when we hear the lies from Satan, we understand that he is using his shrewdness to commit a great sin. With great good comes great evil. And Adam and Eve commit sin there.

Eve was not able to expose the Word of God properly. Because God told, "If you eat that fruit, you will surely die." But when Satan asked Eve, Eve said, "If we eat the fruit, lest we will die." Have you noticed the word "lest" there? The word "lest" comes with a probability. You may die or you may not die. But did God say that? Did God say that? God said, "You will surely die." Eve is, Eve has got it wrong. She has exposed it wrong. And she said "lest." We will die. They were depending in their vulnerability. They were depending on their own wisdom in their weakness. They were supposed to depend on the words of God, but they were not depending on it. They were depending on their strength and their wisdom. Paul says in Romans, when humanity committed sin, God has left them in their own sin. They were committing more and more and more sin.

Probably when Adam and Eve were depending on their own wisdom, when they were depending on their own strength, when they were depending on themselves to find meaning in their life, God gave this task to them which was hectic, which was worrisome in their life. They were not able to reach anywhere with that wisdom in their life. They were going away and away and away, far from God. It was like a pursuit of wind. You thought you have got enough. But when you open your arms, when you open your fist, oh, there is nothing there. Till now you might have been thinking that you have enough in your life. Solomon says it's all futile, and we will be forgotten. And this is the task that God has given. When we depend on our own wisdom, when we forget God and live our own life, our lives become futile. That's what Solomon says: "Under the sun everything is futile. Look beyond the sun. Look unto the God who is beyond the sun." May the good God bless each one of us.