And, when all is said and done, here is the last word: worship in reverence the one True God and keep His commands, for this is what God expects of every person. (The Voice translation)
People often think that it is hard to understand the Bible. Often, it is. Sometimes the cultural and historical distance between us and those to whom the Bible was first written seems to be too great. There is so much that can be confusing, but there are also many passages that offer great focus and clarity. This is one such passage.
The “teacher” of Ecclesiastes summarizes all he’s learned with laser focus. Here’s his last word on the subject: worship God and obey his commands. To worship God does not just mean attending a church service every Sunday morning. It means offering yourself to God as a “living sacrifice” (see Romans 12:1-2). To obey God means that you are willing to live the life He wants you to live. You determine to make His agenda your agenda. If this were all you knew about what God expects, this would be enough!
I like what Mark Twain said about understanding the Bible:
It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.
Let’s work on those things that we do understand: worship God and obey Him!