Solomon’s Thesis Statement: Argument #5
Based on Memory.
How long will the memory of our being be around after our deaths? “There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things
that are to come with those that shall
come after.” (Ecclesiastes 1:11). Dear reader, a basic fact must be accepted by
all. After one’s demise his children will remember him, hopefully fondly.
Stories will be passed down to their children and hopefully their grandchildren
as well. This one fact must be face is the chances of one being fondly
remembered eight generations down the line is slim to none. There will come a
time in which one is no longer remembered, even by his own family. Think to
those of whom we know in history. For example, think of George Washington. Our
history books teach us that he had wooden false teeth, he did NOT chop down the
cherry tree as the story goes, and his death was probably more linked to the
practice of bloodletting than the respiratory infection which he had. These are
just a few facts. There are many, more obvious ones which have not been named.
Does one know exactly how his voice sounded? Does one know how he reacted to
the rising and setting of the sun each day? Truthfully, only bits and pieces
are known of his life. The rest is unknown to man today. Think still of those
of whom we read in the Bible. For example, Isaac is a prominent figure in the
book of Genesis and a type of Christ. Still, there are years of his life which
are overlooked from one chapter to the other. Only that which God has revealed
is known. Even our very own memories fade. No one can remember every single
detail of his or her life. Based on this fact, seeking things of this world
alone is vanity.
A friend and I once walked through a cemetery in Arkansas. While there,
we spied three graves for a husband, wife, and child. The husband passed away
first followed by their child a few weeks later. Shortly after the death of the
child the wife passed away. We looked at the graves and came up with a
scenario. The husband may have passed away overseas (as his death was during
World War 2). The child may have gotten sick and perished from the ailment
while the mother died of a doubly broken heart. After we played through this
scenario, we still knew nothing more of these three other than their names
(which I have forgotten since then), their date of birth, and death. Dear
reader there will come a day when we are nothing more to anyone than a name on
a tombstone.
If seeking after the things of this world is vanity, after what should I
seek? Solomon summed it up nicely. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty
of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing,
whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
