ECCLESIASTES 1:1-11

Ecclesiastes is traditionally believed to be authored by the wise King Solomon, ‘the son of David, king in Jerusalem’ (1:1).  Some scholars, however, believe that the language and topics discussed are not that of Solomon, but of someone presenting it as if it were from Solomon, who is the great voice of wisdom.  Furthermore, the name Solomon is not mentioned, the author refers to himself simply as ‘The Preacher’.  Ecclesiastes (Greek), or Qoheleth (Hebrew), as the book is sometimes called, means  ‘assembly‘.  Thus, the person addressing the assembly is ‘The Preacher‘. 

The book is written to God’s people who struggle with what He is doing in their lives and the world around them.  All of us can relate to that--life often seems so wrong and unfair.  We want to achieve and fall short.  Life can become meaningless in our sorrows and even in our successes.  We try to make sense of life, but our striving will only leave us hopeless and disillusioned. 

The Preacher explores the different ways that people try to overcome and find meaning among the emptiness.  Our natural inclination is to leave God out of our searching, and that results in futility.  Apart from God, what we have is never enough--that‘s why it results in emptiness and despair.  Solomon understands the complexities and frustrations of life ‘under the sun‘ or, apart from God, and makes his point over and over again.  He is forthright and gritty--nothing is sugar coated here.  If we aren’t rooted, grounded and anchored in God, we will strive but not endure and we will lose hope. 

Ultimately, the message of Ecclesiastes is about Jesus, because He tells us that all of Scripture is about Him (Luke 24:27, John 5:39).  In this study, we will learn to see Jesus in Ecclesiastes--how it all points to Him.

Chapter 1:1-11 is the thesis statement of the book--it tells us what the book is about.

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities!  All is vanity.

What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.

The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.

All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.

All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”?
It has been already in the ages before us.

There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.

As I read this passage, I am reminded of the hamster on the wheel--going and going, but nothing is accomplished.  It’s leaves me frustrated.   God is nowhere mentioned in these verses. 

That’s the point.  Apart from God, all of our efforts are frustrated.  And that’s the message of Ecclesiastes.

The main points of the book are:

Everything is vain (empty or useless) ‘under the sun’ (apart from God)

The cycle of life and nature exemplifies this uselessness--nothing is truly gained

There is no lasting satisfaction

Nothing is ever truly new

Nothing will be remembered forever

If you miss that these statements all refer back to verses 2 and 3, that is, life ‘under the sun’, then you will miss the point of the book and dismiss it as pessimistic.  Instead, we should see Ecclesiastes as a book written by a very wise man who, because of his experience, has something to teach us about how we should live.

Verse 1 tells us that the author knows what he is talking about, he is the king, after all--everything is at his disposal.  He, along with his father, David, were the kings during the glory days of Israel.  God granted him great wisdom and wealth (1 Kings 3:5-14, 2 Chronicles 1:7-12) and Jerusalem prospered under his rule.  Some believe that Ecclesiastes was written at the end of his life when he was in a depressed and backslidden state--one who started well, but didn’t end well.  If you are one of these people, perhaps this study will change your mind and you will see the book in a new way.

Ecclesiastes reminds us that the cycles of life and nature reveal that nothing is ever really new.  The sun rises and sets, the wind blows, the waters fill the sea, but never to fullness--it’s just the same thing, over and over again.  In the same way, when we have, we want more.  The enthusiast wants the newest and best; the musician wants a better instrument, the jewelry lover wants a bigger diamond, the salesman wants a bigger sale, and on it goes.  There will always be something newer and better, therefore, any satisfaction we get is fleeting.  We are never truly satisfied.

What is, has been before and will come again.  New products and technology lead to new and improved products and technology--it’s never enough.  Even this is just another way to communicate or get things done--the basis doesn’t change.  People have always communicated, people have always worked, people have always traveled--the modes are always changing, but there is nothing truly new under the sun.  It’s all been done before.

The Preacher says that nothing will be remembered forever.  You might be thinking that there is remembrance of things that people do- I’m sure you can list some of them.  The point is, there will always be someone to take their place, there will always be someone new to be excited about.  Celebrities are on the front pages, until someone new comes along--how quickly they become ‘has beens’.  Buildings, schools and stadiums are named for great people, until a big corporation pays enough money to remove the name and replace it with their own. 
And one day, they are old and torn down.  They are just a memory. 

Look at the ruins in Rome and Greece, they are nothing like they were when new and bright and filled with life.  Imagine the excitement of the Roman Coliseum, which held up to 80,000 people.  Built from 70-80 AD, the Coliseum was the symbol of Roman power.  The giant statue of Nero, Emperor of the world, towered before it.  The statue is long gone and forgotten.  The arena, once vibrant, is just a façade.

Likewise, the Parthenon, a temple to the Greek Goddess, Athena, was captured by the Ottoman Empire and turned into a Mosque, no longer to symbolize Greece and its religion.  The building, along with it’s magnificent sculptures, was eventually badly damaged by invading armies.  It’s magnificence--gone.  Two great world Empires are now tourist attractions--the might and terror are gone.  The monuments built to display their significance for all time are a shadow of what they were- broken and scattered.  

These are just two examples of structures intended to leave a lasting legacy of might and strength.  Of the Seven Great Wonders of the Ancient World, only the Pyramid of Giza remains.  The rest?  Gone.  Now, there are new lists of ‘Great Wonders’--they are been replaced by the ‘new and improved’.   Nothing remains forever, there will always be something or someone to take its place. 

Your children and grandchildren will likely remember you--your great grandchildren?  Maybe.  Beyond that, it is doubtful that they will know anything about you and your accomplishments.  Given enough time and distance, even the greatest legacies will be forgotten, it’s all vanity.

Does this depress you?  Good!  That’s what the Preacher wants you to realize.  The greatest accomplishments are futile, apart from God.  He is not referring to joy in accomplishment, he is referring to ultimate meaning.  Without this, there is despair, and this is what he shows in the following chapters.  There are no quick and easy answers in Ecclesiastes.  We must slow down, think pensively and drink deeply of the futility of life ‘under the sun’. 

In all the emptiness of life, there is One who brings ultimate meaning--the Lord, Jesus.  Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).  But, we don‘t need to live apart from Him.  Jesus’ words point back to Ecclesiastes, and He is the fulfillment of the vanity in life:

“And He said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully,  and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’  And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’  So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”   (LUKE 12:15-21) 

The rich fool lost everything, his barns, his riches, and most importantly, his soul.  Jesus’ teachings echo the themes in Ecclesiastes.  The one who put all his hope in riches, in the end, had nothing.  Living life ‘under the sun’ is ultimately meaningless, regardless of how much we achieve.  In the end, it is vanity.

“Therefore, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:19-21)

Ecclesiastes has a very contemporary message for us, for, we too are tempted to live life apart from God--’under the sun’.  As Jesus taught, we need to put our hope in Heavenly things, not Earthly things.  Our hope is to be in the things will which last, not that which will become corrupt and decay.  We need to learn the lesson from the wise Preacher that apart from God, ultimately, nothing is gained and all is vanity.  Life will be constant striving with no satisfying meaning. 

Jesus became sin so that believers might become the righteousness of God 
(2 Corinthians 5:21)  Believers are now in union with Him.  That’s how we can have ultimate meaning in life, because of what He has done on our behalf and who we are in Him.  Solomon understood the futility of life ‘under the sun’ and we too need to understand it.  Only in Christ are we able to avoid the fate of the rich man, who gained the whole world, but lost his own soul (Mark 8:36-37).