Nomadness

 


“Looking for something?” A simple question that may speak to our simple lives. What are we searching for? What are we missing?


The spiritual nomad engages in ceaseless wandering. Such is the book of Ecclesiastes. Hevel. But vapour is so hard to grasp; therefore, we seek the tangible. Solomon built a majestic temple for YHWH Elohim, the one true God. It was a tangible house for His Glory to dwell in on earth.

 

But Qoheleth remains on a quest. He is looking for the true temple of God-Elohim. He says: “Frankly, a human being cannot understand what happens on earth, because however hard a man works to discover it, he will not find out. Despite what he thinks he knows, he will not be able to figure it out.” (Ecc 8:17) What is missing is a God that is not ‘far off' but who is close, nearby (7:24).


But God is immortal, invisible, and dwells in inapproachable light (1Tim 6). Hence, Qoheleth feels lost, discouraged, and far from his home. 


King Solomon knew that the kingdom would be divided as a result of his turning away (1 Kings 11). Many years later, the Glory of God would depart from “Solomon’s Temple.” This is some of the despair that is written into Ecclesiastes.


So, why the endless quest? Is the journey the destination? Hebrews 6 tells us that we need to leave the elementary things behind and move on to maturity. Galatians (3:24) teaches us that the Law is like a Schoolmaster who leads us to the one who is greater. The Law (that is, the Teachings) and the Prophets have been fulfilled in the Christ-Messiah. But for some reason, the pathway, the journey, is still an important part of the story.


Ecclesiastes has a series of cyclical themes. An obsession with kings, death, futility, fearing God, and enjoying the gifts of God – food and drink from the harvest. But think of things in this way: ears, eyes, and hands. 


In chapter 5, we are told to listen to the voice of God. 

Then the writer says: “I have seen it all during my pointless life.” (7:15) He speaks of what he has seen “under the sun” and muses on life under the earth; a shadowland. He has a blurry vision of the afterlife. 

He is a kind of Solomon Musk, wealthy, but lacking the peacefulness found in the toil of his hands. Despite his despair, he notes that “we are all in the hands of God.” (9:1). That we are in the hands of God is an important point in understanding Ecclesiastes. There is a contrast and a similarity between our human hands and the hands of God.


But what if, what if, we are only a vapour in the eyes of God? We appear only for a moment, and then we are gone? Would we still be able to Bless Everything? In what sense is Ecclesiastes worship? Would we worship and serve no matter what became of us? Strangely, the apostle Paul says something similar. He had a deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in his heart. He was willing to be cut off and condemned from the Messiah for his brothers and sisters, for the nation (Rom 9:3).


What appears to be missing in Qoheleth’s theology is a close personal God, YHWH. Indeed, Elohim is the king on the throne in the greater temple. But where is our consolation if we go down to the shadowlands?

Qoheleth appears to be living in only a part of the house, and not the whole house. He is seeking a doorway that leads beyond death. Does he envision the resurrection? If not, is he closing in on it? But consider this: the refined understanding that the Christian faith has of the resurrection may, in fact, minimize it. If we breeze past death to the resurrection, we fail to see how serious the matter is. We don’t see the impossibility of overcoming death, nor do we see its finality, and our complete utter futility. We do not sense hevel.  When we grasp what Qoheleth grasps, the futility of our lives in the face of the finality of death, we begin to see the magnanimity of the resurrection. We understand the impossible nature of the resurrection, finally made possible. We begin to see that YHWH Elohim is not far off but is in the human face of the Christ.

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