The End of the Matter

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

You may have noticed (or you may not have, and that's fine) that I've skipped through the last two chapters of Ecclesiastes. The Teacher, in those chapters, revisits many of the themes he has discussed earlier in the book. His final word, in fact, seems to come in verse 8 of chapter 12, and it's a word we've heard before: "Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!"

The last few verses read as if they are commentary or as if they were added on to this book at a later time. Did some later editor feel like the Teacher's conclusions were too negative, too depressing? Did he, perhaps, want to inject a word of hope here at the end of the book? Whatever might have happened (whether these last verses are the work of the Teacher or of someone else), the conclusion of the book, the end of the matter, is one we need to hear in a world that very often feels meaningless. There is a way to find meaning, a way to live in hope. Fear God and keep his commandments. Live the way God wants you to, and even though the world may seem meaningless, God will place meaning and hope into your life.

That's what this season of the year is all about. Into a world that was meaningless and hopeless, a baby was born in a stable in Bethlehem. He came because "keeping the commandments" was an impossible task, really. He came not to replace the law but to fulfill it. He came in grace and in truth. He came in a lowly manger, rode in humility on a donkey, died a criminal's death and was laid in a borrowed tomb. But then, on the third day, he rose in glory so that we could live forever. Jesus is not only the "reason for the season," he is the meaning for my life and the true end of the matter.

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, wonders, of His love.