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Ecclesiastes: The Enigma of Life Under the Sun | The Question of Meaning

January 12, 2025
Ecclesiastes 1:2-18

2Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,

    vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

3What does man gain by all the toil

    at which he toils under the sun?

4A generation goes, and a generation comes,

    but the earth remains forever.

5The sun rises, and the sun goes down,

    and hastens to the place where it rises.

6The wind blows to the south

    and goes around to the north;

around and around goes the wind,

    and on its circuits the wind returns.

7All streams run to the sea,

    but the sea is not full;

to the place where the streams flow,

    there they flow again.

8All things are full of weariness;

    a man cannot utter it;

the eye is not satisfied with seeing,

    nor the ear filled with hearing.

9What has been is what will be,

    and what has been done is what will be done,

    and there is nothing new under the sun.

10Is there a thing of which it is said,

    “See, this is new”?

It has been already

    in the ages before us.

11There is no remembrance of former things,

    nor will there be any remembrance

of later things yet to be

    among those who come after.

 

12I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

 

15What is crooked cannot be made straight,

    and what is lacking cannot be counted.

 

16I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.

 

18For in much wisdom is much vexation,

    and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

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Purpose

To discover and experience Jesus Christ in our midst

To cultivate mutually encouraging relationships

To participate in God’s mission to the world 

Opening Prayer

Lord, we beseech you mercifully to receive the prayers of your people who call upon you; and grant that we may both perceive and know what things we ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill them; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Responsive Prayer — Isaiah 55

Seek the Lord while he may be found;

Call upon him while he is near;

Let the wicked forsake his way,

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

Let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,

And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

Neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are my ways higher than your ways,

    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Summary and Connection

We are starting a new series on the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is classified as wisdom literature, and its authorship is generally ascribed to King Solomon. Its name comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Qoheleth, which is often translated as “Preacher” or “Teacher.” Throughout the book, the author instructs the readers to think critically by asking meaningful questions about life and its purpose. The main argument, as reflected in the first chapter, is that life without God is ultimately vain. Ecclesiastes is often described as the question book that the rest of the Bible answers. We are in a new sermon series called Ecclesiastes: The Enigma of Life Under the Sun, and this week we will delve into the first chapter of the book.

Discussion Questions

1. Looking at the Bible

Observation: Read the passage privately. What does the text say? What is the theme of this passage? Do you notice any keywords?

  • Throughout the passage, the author mentions things that last and things that don’t last. Identify them and share them with the group.

2. Looking at Jesus

At Central we believe that all of Scripture points to Jesus. In other words, Jesus is the theological center of the Bible. Every passage not only points to Jesus, but the grand narrative of the Bible also finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus.

  • In verse 2, the Preacher says, “All is vanity,” or in other translations, “Everything is meaningless.” Outside of Christianity, how do people find their meaning in life?

3. Looking at Our Hearts

  • Verse 3 contains the main question that Ecclesiastes seeks to ask: “What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” Jesus also asked, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26) What is the Teacher implying? What is meaningful work under the sun? 

4. Looking at Our World

  • In verses 16-18, the author concludes that at the end of his pursuit of wisdom, there was only increased vexation and sorrow. The English poet Thomas Gray coined the phrase “Ignorance is bliss.” Is there validity to this statement? 

Sending

God’s word is a lamp to our feet. Christ’s teachings are a light to our path. May God’s word take root in our lives. May Christ’s love nourish and sustain us. Amen.

  • View Study Guide Notes

    Question 1: The Hebrew word hevel, meaning “breath” or “wind,” is used extensively throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. In verse 2, which reflects the theme of the book, hevel is translated as “vanity” or “meaningless.” The Preacher instructs that life is but a vapor (James 4:14) through the process of elimination; he explains that all forms of human efforts and pursuits are temporary. The Bible teaches that all the created, physical things have an end — ”for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Even the spiritual gifts have an end — ”as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away” (1 Corinthians 13:8). Only God and his word will last eternally; the Prophet Isaiah wrote, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Jesus said similarly, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). By showing us the transient nature of the world, the Teacher indirectly encourages us not to worry about what to eat or what to wear, but to seek first God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:31-33).

    Question 2: The French philosopher Albert Camus argued that life is meaningless, and the attempt to find its meaning in this indifferent universe is absurd. He concluded that the only reasonable conclusion to life is to accept its absurdity and meaninglessness: “Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it’s meaningless.” The author of Ecclesiastes says all is vanity “under the sun,” a phrase repeated numerous times throughout this book. Qoheleth is indicating that we cannot find the answers in this observable world; rather, we need to look up toward God to find meaning. The Apostle Paul similarly wrote that if Christ has not been raised, Christians are the most pitiful people, and people should “eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Corinthians 15:19, 32). Jesus’ resurrection makes all the difference; the gospel gives reason and hope in this meaningless world. Through Ecclesiastes, we are reminded once more that Christ’s resurrection provides the living hope in our new life (1 Peter 1:3).

    Question 3: The teachings of Ecclesiastes sound pessimistic, even nihilistic, if misunderstood. We must remember that the Qoheleth is instructing the readers through critical thinking and asking questions. Ecclesiastes is best interpreted in context with the rest of the Bible. In the earlier mentioned passage of 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul argued everything is meaningless if Christ had not been raised, he concludes the chapter saying, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). The resurrection of Jesus not only gives meaning to life, but also provides meaning to the work in our life–the labor in the Lord is not meaningless. The Apostle John also wrote, “The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). The Preacher asks is there any gain–any profit, advantage, or value–to work? The Bible answers that doing the work of God is meaningful (not in vain) and of eternal value (abides forever). Jesus adds that it also reflects where our heart is:

    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)

    C.T. Studd, a British missionary to China, summed this up well in his poem:

    Only one life ‘twill soon be past.

    Only what’s done for Christ will last.

    Question 4: In the movie The Matrix (1999), the protagonist, Neo, is given the option of taking a red pill and accepting the difficult truth, or taking a blue pill and remaining in the illusion of comfort. Neo decides to take the red pill and to confront the oppressive reality of the Matrix. The Greek philosopher Plato wrote a similar allegory in his work “Republic.” There are prisoners chained in a cave, facing a wall, seeing only shadows cast by objects behind them. These shadows represent the prisoners’ limited understanding of reality. If the prisoners were freed and exited the cave, they could move beyond the imaginative world and on to what’s real, but they would have to temporarily endure a phase of much pain due to the sunlight before their eyes could adjust enough to see things more clearly. In the cave, the prisoners are so accustomed to only the shadows that they accept the comfortable imitation of reality.

    Paul wrote that the crucifixion of Jesus is a “stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:23). The world finds the gospel offensive in its exclusive claims; no one wants to hear the news that they are sinners destined for hell. However, the word “gospel” comes from the Greek word meaning “good news.” Jesus said to his disciples, “When you know the truth, the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). Instead of blissful ignorance, we have blissful truth, and we need to spread the “glad tidings of great joy for all people” (Luke 2:10).