WHAT ARE YOU REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO?

Ecclesiastes 4:7-8

⁷ Once again I concluded that impermanence is under the sun: ⁸ one man can have no other dependent, neither a son nor a brother, but still work without ever resting, and his eyes can never be satisfied with gaining more wealth, so that he never thinks to ask, “who am I working for and denying myself of life’s pleasure?” This is yet another example of impermanence and a sad state of affairs.

retirement as a fix

If we are honest, we in modern society probably wonder whether Solomon ever thought of retirement. It appears to be a fix to the dilemma he described. In retirement, all that you have worked for is not lost, because it is an investment in yourself. You do not deny yourself life’s pleasures, you simply delay them until you retire. Solomon’s society invested in retirement by investing in relatives who could take care of you if you were fortunate enough to outlive your capacity to work. But people mostly died young, so that investment was usually spent on something else than the earner. It was – as Solomon said – “yet another example of impermanence and a sad state of affairs.” I have had many friends and associates in the two-thirds world who lived and died that example.

Yet, even retirement – should any of us experience that luxury, does not really fix the problem of impermanence. The real problem of impermanence is that life does not last. The only real fix is to find a source of eternal life. Hence, the need for a Saviour.

LORD, we look to you, because only you offer a life that lasts.