Have you heard of the shortest play in world drama? Samuel Beckett was an Irish playwright, novelist, and poet. Guinness World Records acknowledges his play, entitled “Breath”, to be the shortest play in world drama. It lasts about 35 seconds.
As the curtain opens, you see a stage littered with rubbish. A single light illuminates it. There are no actors and no words. The first thing you hear is a faint cry of a baby being born, then the sound of someone inhaling, then someone exhaling. The light slowly dims. And then a final cry.
Is that it? “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!” Ecclesiastes 12:8
Is this mist of a life pointless?
Praise God! “Vanity” does not have the last word. The final six verses of Ecclesiastes put the whole book into perspective. They do not contradict the Preacher but rather provide a compelling conclusion. They tell us how and why the book was written.
- The Words: How were the words written? (vs. 9-10)
- The Word: Who is the author of the words? What is their purpose? (vs. 11-12)
- The Way: What should be our focus? (vs. 13-14)