Friday, March 6, 2009

Ecclesiastes 3

Aside from making a lovely song for hippies, this chapter is still quite a downer. It ends up talking about the certainty of death. My very favorite little phrase though is this one. That God has "planted eternity in the human heart." Even with the whole bit about us having nothing over animals and we're all just dust, something tipped Solomon off to the unique eternal fate of humanity.

The Old Testament shares a pretty consistent view of death. You just sleep. You become dust. Although phrases like this one and others hint at the afterlife, it's not until the Gospels that the idea of a resurrection really gets into full swing. Like when Jesus and Martha talk about death at Lazarus' wake, they seem to be working from a common assumption that he is just laying there sleeping until the resurrection at the last day. I think people nowadays are freaked out by the thought of a loss of consciousness when we die. We'd like to think that when the lights go out here, they blink right on up in Heaven. Something about that seems like it might have something to do with vanity, self-importance, or pride. Maybe not though.

I sort of look forward to resting in peace. I don't know which will happen. And maybe it's because I'm really tired right now, but I don't care one way or the other what happens to the spirit me when this body quits working. Unconsciousness awaiting the last trumpet or instantaneous transport into the presence of God. Maybe there's a third or fourth option I haven't considered, but I think I have it narrowed down to one of those two.

This probably seems like a weird tangent, but I encourage you to go through the Bible and carefully search for scriptures that talk about death with an open heart and see if you come to any different conclusions than the one that's typically portrayed at Christian funerals. If you decide to dig in, I'd point you to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 as a jumping off place. There are really lots and lots of others though. Very thought provoking to me.

1 comments:

Bea said...

Maybe it is my age, or my contentment with God, but I am pretty much like Paul---I'd like to go home, but really want to accomplish all God has for me to do here too!! I am pretty comfortable to leave it in His hands, but if you hear I have departed this life on earth--know I am rejoicing and thankful to be in the prescence of my Jesus. (Please don't cry for me when I am gone.) Meanwhile, I love sharing life with all of you, and sharing Jesus with those He brings across my path.

On another note. I always kind of wondered why this book got included, but Solomon finally gives his conclusion to the whole matter--Love God and keep his commandments. Guess that says it for us too. We know we can trust and follow God's plan whether we see the whole picture or not. Faith in a nutshell.