What is our purpose on Earth?

The book of Ecclesiastes is a wonderful gem in Scripture and a very practical book about life.

Solomon was the richest and wisest man to ever live and had the means to try every outlet in life “under the sun” in order to bring about satisfaction. Solomon was not a perfect person, just as none of us are. Solomon tries every avenue of life apart from God to satisfy his soul. And his conclusion is “all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” This can simply be interpreted as all the temporary pleasures of life will only lead to emptiness and unfulfillment apart from a relationship with God. “Vexation of spirit” is a longing or grasping for fulfillment in something, but to no end. 

Solomon tried everything to bring about satisfaction. He tried the study of science and natural laws, philosophy and psychology, physical pleasure or sexual experience, the works of his hands, medical knowledge, materialism, fatalism (living as if “whatever will be will be”), egotism (living completely for self), religion, wealth, and human morality (meaning living life as a do-gooder, attempting to live by the rules of society and be a good citizen).

All of these attempts for satisfaction in life can only bring about temporary happiness which will not last. Remember, eternity is much longer than this temporary life. 

Solomon’s final conclusion:

“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

Fearing the Lord leads to wisdom. (Psa. 111:10, Prov. 1:7, 9:10), and we find the Fear of the Lord is in fact wisdom itself (Job 28:28). 

The Fear of the Lord will teach a person how to live skillfully before God both in the triumphs and the tragedies of life and all points in between.

The New Testament goes on to reveal that true wisdom is knowing Christ. The Scriptures tells us Christ is made unto us wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30).

Therefore, God’s wisdom in short is knowing Christ but in detail is seeking to understand and apply His divine skill and knowledge in how to manage the affairs of all creation. Human wisdom is skill for living and managing one’s life – this skill needs to be ultimately derived from the fear of the Lord, the need to respect Him so profoundly that one will depart from evil through the knowledge of Jesus Christ as Savior and dedicated service to follow Him as Lord. 

To have a reverential fear of God is to trust Him in all instances. To start, know who God is and what He has done for you. Jesus is God, so beyond understanding that there is a God through creation, one must go on to find reconciliation to God through knowing Jesus as Savior (John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 10:43). Jesus said, “ye believe in God, believe also in me.” – John 14:1

The two duties of mankind (or the whole duty) in this life are simply this, trust Christ and serve Him, or as Solomon put it, "Fear God and keep His commandments":

First, be reconciled to God: settle your eternal destiny by trusting in the sinless shed blood of Jesus Christ and His perfect sacrifice at Calvary for the forgiveness of your sins. He died for you, was buried for you, and rose from the grave for you. He offers you complete salvation (deliverance from Hell) and eternal life in Heaven forever when you simply rest your faith upon Him (Matt. 11:28, John 3:16-18, Rom. 6:23, Eph. 1:12-14, 1 Cor. 15:1-4). 

The second duty of man is to serve Christ with all your being, and this is not to be burdensome but rather performed in love for Him. Give the good news of the Gospel out to others, study your Bible (God’s Word), pray to God seeking knowledge and looking for answers, fellowship with other like-minded believers, and love all people as God has loved us. 

We find in Scripture, that all of the Apostles of Jesus came to this same conclusion. Hear the words of Paul, Peter, and John and see the similarity to the wisdom Solomon proclaimed. Will you come to this conclusion too?

Paul writes, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” – 2 Tim. 3:14-17

Peter writes, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” – 1 Peter 1:18-25

John writes, “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” – 1 John 3:23

So we notice the conclusion to mankind's duty: Fear God and keep His commandments.  Trust Christ and serve Him.