Dry Bones
Ecclesiastes 12:13
The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, for this applies to every person.
In his book Bones of Contention, Professor Marvin Lubenow tells the story of Sir Arthur Keith, one of the greatest anatomists of the twentieth century. In 1908 Keith heard that bones had been found just forty miles from downtown London. After inspecting them, he considered them a monumental discovery. It was soon announced that these were the remains of the earliest known Englishman, commonly known as the “Piltdown Man.” The bones became the personal obsession of Sir Arthur Keith. To him they were the validation of his evolutionary beliefs. He wrote more on the subject of the Piltdown Man than anyone else. But in 1953, science caught up with speculation, and the British Museum proclaimed the entire discovery a fraud. The Piltdown Man was actually the tampered-with remains from a human corpse. The bones had been treated with iron salts to make them appear old. Sir Arthur Keith was eighty-six years old when he learned that his life’s work was a fraud.
One man in Scripture who experienced something similar was King Solomon. As an old man, he looked back over his accomplishments and achievements. All his wealth, chariots, horses, gardens, buildings, and wives were now meaningless. He realized the only thing that really mattered in life was to fear God and keep His commandments. Nothing else would bring purpose and satisfaction to life. No matter where you are today—rich or poor, single or married, old or young—learn from the lives of two men who failed to live for what mattered.
Follow the advice of an aged Solomon who learned late in life: obey God’s Word and live a life that respects and trusts His leadership. This kind of lifestyle will never be meaningless. In fact, it is the only life that produces satisfaction . . . both now and forever.