When Jerusalem fell, Solomon’s massive porch, in all its splendor and majesty remained. When we read the book of Ecclesiastes, we can imagine him sitting there, at the end of his life, looking out over his phenomenal city as he groped to understand what meaning could be derived from his life’s work.

Solomon was a king and a king’s son. He was David’s second child by Bathsheba and one upon whom God bestowed wealth and royal majesty beyond anything Israel had ever seen. He was only about 20 years old when he assumed the throne, where he spent the next 40 years of his life tasting everything life had to offer.

When he succeeded his father, Solomon took full advantage of the promising nation left to him. He rebuilt Jerusalem with new streets, walls, public service buildings, and a temple designed by God Himself. The materials used to build the structure by themselves would have cost him millions. His laborers spent seven years constructing the temple. Solomon’s own palace took 13 years to build.

The dazzling beauty of Solomon’s architecture left his indelible signature on the city. He was an autocrat who possessed unbridled access to wealth and labor. His might, greatness, and dominion impressed the entire world.

If any man could boast of success, it would have been Solomon. He had every earthly possession a human could desire: power, position, pedigree, wealth, talent, wives, houses, and even wisdom. Yet none fulfilled him. Perhaps it was the wisdom in him that left his ravenous heart unsatisfied by such excess.

When Solomon tested himself with pleasure, he found only madness in laughter. When he turned to wine to stimulate his body, he woke to the reality of a cold world that did not reward him with contentment. When he enlarged his works beyond the measure of any other ruler, he realized that he would one day die and leave it all to an ungrateful heir. "What prophet does man have?" he asked at the end of his life.

Set in the wisdom books of the Old Testament, Ecclesiastes is as close to biblical philosophy as we get. As we meander through his excessive life, we learn that the king searched for meaning in hedonism, materialism, intellectualism, and success, finding vacancy in all paths. When he surveys his journey, he can only bitterly conclude that the riches he has amassed have not in themselves been benevolent. They have given him no enduring peace or sense of righteousness, but have instead consumed him.

Hence, we find him at the end of his life, reflecting upon the journey. It is here that he realizes all of his finite efforts have produced little more than vanity. He concludes that the sum of his work will never be greater than the parts. And if the parts are vacuous, he must step outside of himself to find true meaning.

When he eventually does this, he is able to find incredible worth in life. We see a marked change in his writing. "I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor–it is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him" (Ecclesiastes 3:12-14).

Many Bible scholars believe that Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes for lost souls, who, like him, might travel along paths searching for more than the world can give. The writing he left behind is a wealth of wisdom and truth spoken from the mouth of someone who investigated every belief system and every carnal pleasure and found them all lacking.

Solomon writes candidly about his life–its fortune, futility and failure. At the same time, he successfully works his way through disillusionment and doubt to a place where we can see a shining testimony of reasoned faith in the divine goodness of God.

He advises us to guard our steps as we go to the house of God and to draw near and listen, rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools. (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2) He assures us that there is a time for all things under the sun and that God has appointed that time according to His will. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-10) He tells us to remember God in our youth and instructs us to fear God and keep His commandments. (Ecclesiastes 12)

There is probably no character in the Bible that can be compared with Solomon. He lived bigger than life itself. Yet, because he asked the Lord for wisdom above riches, he possessed the fortitude and presence of mind to recognize what millions fail to see–that God has set eternity in every human heart, and only through Him can we find true fulfillment.