“An Endless Chasing After the Wind”
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Ecc. 12:13-14)
My guess is that if you searched hard enough, you would probably be able to find it someplace in your home. It might be in the basement, or under the bed in one of the kid’s room, or perhaps in some forgotten box hidden at the back of one of your closets. Some of the pieces might be missing, but my guess is that someplace in your home you have a copy of the game, “Monopoly.” Monoplogists (yes, they apparently really do exist) tell us that since Charles Darrow patented the game in 1935, approximately 750 million people have played the game, making it “the most played board game in the world.” Monopoly was created during a time when the only thing Americans had a monopoly on was depression. The stock market had crashed in 1929 and millions of workers were jobless. Darrow presented his game to Parker Brothers in 1934 but it was originally rejected because of 52 design errors. Undaunted, he personally financed the printing of 5000 sets and sold them to a Philadelphia department store, where it became an overnight success. The original game sold for 2 bucks a pop, which people were somehow able to spend despite their very real financial troubles. Because of its unparalleled success, Darrow spent the rest of life metaphorically living on Boardwalk. To give you some idea of the game’s success: * More than 200 million copies of the game have been sold. * More that 5 billion (yes that’s billion with a “b”) little green houses have been manufactured. * The most expensive monopoly game was one crafted by Sidney Mobell, a jeweler based in San Francisco, in the year 1988. The board, worth $2 million, is encrusted with rubies, diamonds and sapphires and the pawns, hotels and houses are built of 23-carat gold. Just the dices contain more than 40 diamonds. (I’d bet that one isn’t sitting in a cardboard box in the basement!)
It’s interesting that a game about living the high life was introduced at a time when the country was trying to rebound from its worst-ever economic depression. I imagine people thought, “If I can’t have money and property in real life, at least I can pretend by playing Monopoly.”
The verse above was written by a man who literally possessed the first monetary monopolies in human history. As king of Israel, Solomon controlled most of the wealth and commerce in the Middle East. He accumulated vast amounts of gold and silver from his trading ventures with nearby nations. He possessed a fleet of ships which was without equal anywhere on the planet. Foreign rulers would come to see the magnificence of his kingdom and would bring even more wealth and exotic gifts to honor him. To put it in Monopoly terms, Solomon owned all the properties, utilities, railroads and he had hotels spilling off every property space. And on top of that, he had stacks of money piling up way beyond his side of the board.
But here’s the irony, in spite of his great wealth, Solomon was still a restless soul. When you read Ecclesiastes you discover that Solomon indulged his every whim trying to find something that would bring significance and meaning to his life. And this guy had the financial wherewithal to take it to the extreme. He tried satiating himself with wine and exotic food served in gold vessels, but that didn’t work. He tried to find happiness by spending money on building projects and literally built cities. But that didn’t do it. He accumulated stuff: servants, herds, more gold and silver than anyone had ever possessed before. Still nothing. He indulged himself with hundreds of wives and concubines. But even then the dull ache of emptiness just wouldn’t go away. After fulfilling every fancy of his heart he found out that a person can win the game of Monopoly but still be a loser in the game of Life. Wealth, pleasure, prestige, and power will not, (cannot) satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. Temporal things cannot satisfy eternal desires. The French philosopher Pascal was right – there is a God-shaped vacuum in every human heart that only be filled by God Himself.
So Solomon ends this search for significance by concluding that meaning and significance can only be found by living in a right relationship with God. Every attempt to substitute something else only causes a person more and more heartache and dissatisfaction – or in his own words, “an endless chasing after the wind.”
If you’re not sure if you have all the money which originally came with your game of Monopoly, all you have to do is count the amount of money you have left in the box. The amount should be exactly $15,140. That’s the very most anyone can possess in the game. If you’re not sure you have a right relationship with God, all you have to do is surrender your heart to Jesus Christ. God the Father provided the best He had, so we would not loose when it comes to playing the Game of Life. Don’t spend another moment chasing after the wind trying to fill your life with something that will not satisfy. Make a wise investment by crowning him Lord of your Life today.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
My guess is that if you searched hard enough, you would probably be able to find it someplace in your home. It might be in the basement, or under the bed in one of the kid’s room, or perhaps in some forgotten box hidden at the back of one of your closets. Some of the pieces might be missing, but my guess is that someplace in your home you have a copy of the game, “Monopoly.” Monoplogists (yes, they apparently really do exist) tell us that since Charles Darrow patented the game in 1935, approximately 750 million people have played the game, making it “the most played board game in the world.” Monopoly was created during a time when the only thing Americans had a monopoly on was depression. The stock market had crashed in 1929 and millions of workers were jobless. Darrow presented his game to Parker Brothers in 1934 but it was originally rejected because of 52 design errors. Undaunted, he personally financed the printing of 5000 sets and sold them to a Philadelphia department store, where it became an overnight success. The original game sold for 2 bucks a pop, which people were somehow able to spend despite their very real financial troubles. Because of its unparalleled success, Darrow spent the rest of life metaphorically living on Boardwalk. To give you some idea of the game’s success: * More than 200 million copies of the game have been sold. * More that 5 billion (yes that’s billion with a “b”) little green houses have been manufactured. * The most expensive monopoly game was one crafted by Sidney Mobell, a jeweler based in San Francisco, in the year 1988. The board, worth $2 million, is encrusted with rubies, diamonds and sapphires and the pawns, hotels and houses are built of 23-carat gold. Just the dices contain more than 40 diamonds. (I’d bet that one isn’t sitting in a cardboard box in the basement!)
It’s interesting that a game about living the high life was introduced at a time when the country was trying to rebound from its worst-ever economic depression. I imagine people thought, “If I can’t have money and property in real life, at least I can pretend by playing Monopoly.”
The verse above was written by a man who literally possessed the first monetary monopolies in human history. As king of Israel, Solomon controlled most of the wealth and commerce in the Middle East. He accumulated vast amounts of gold and silver from his trading ventures with nearby nations. He possessed a fleet of ships which was without equal anywhere on the planet. Foreign rulers would come to see the magnificence of his kingdom and would bring even more wealth and exotic gifts to honor him. To put it in Monopoly terms, Solomon owned all the properties, utilities, railroads and he had hotels spilling off every property space. And on top of that, he had stacks of money piling up way beyond his side of the board.
But here’s the irony, in spite of his great wealth, Solomon was still a restless soul. When you read Ecclesiastes you discover that Solomon indulged his every whim trying to find something that would bring significance and meaning to his life. And this guy had the financial wherewithal to take it to the extreme. He tried satiating himself with wine and exotic food served in gold vessels, but that didn’t work. He tried to find happiness by spending money on building projects and literally built cities. But that didn’t do it. He accumulated stuff: servants, herds, more gold and silver than anyone had ever possessed before. Still nothing. He indulged himself with hundreds of wives and concubines. But even then the dull ache of emptiness just wouldn’t go away. After fulfilling every fancy of his heart he found out that a person can win the game of Monopoly but still be a loser in the game of Life. Wealth, pleasure, prestige, and power will not, (cannot) satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. Temporal things cannot satisfy eternal desires. The French philosopher Pascal was right – there is a God-shaped vacuum in every human heart that only be filled by God Himself.
So Solomon ends this search for significance by concluding that meaning and significance can only be found by living in a right relationship with God. Every attempt to substitute something else only causes a person more and more heartache and dissatisfaction – or in his own words, “an endless chasing after the wind.”
If you’re not sure if you have all the money which originally came with your game of Monopoly, all you have to do is count the amount of money you have left in the box. The amount should be exactly $15,140. That’s the very most anyone can possess in the game. If you’re not sure you have a right relationship with God, all you have to do is surrender your heart to Jesus Christ. God the Father provided the best He had, so we would not loose when it comes to playing the Game of Life. Don’t spend another moment chasing after the wind trying to fill your life with something that will not satisfy. Make a wise investment by crowning him Lord of your Life today.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
posted by Larry | 2:39 PM
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