Introduction
We’re beginning a new series of sermons on the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes and my plan is to divide the book into four sermons.
No doubt most, if not all of you, have read Ecclesiastes from time to time. And if you’ve ever scratched your head when reading it and if you’ve wondered what to make of it, then you’re not alone, because the Bible scholars find it difficult and there are debates over who wrote it; and what the structure of the book is; and, above all, what does it all mean and what message does it have for us? People discuss whether the message is orthodox. That is, does it correspond with everything else we read in the Old Testament? Or perhaps the writer is unorthodox so that his message contradicts what the rest of the Old Testament teaches. Or is he a struggling believer who is trying his best to fit together his own experience of life in this world with what the Bible says about life in this world? How should we interpret this book? As I say, if you’ve scratched your head when reading this book and if you’ve wondered to yourself what it means, then you’re not alone. And so, you can pray for me as I try to make sense of it for you and try to explain it to you over the coming weeks.
Before getting into the text, let’s begin with a few introductory comments. Firstly, why is it called Ecclesiastes? The English title ‘Ecclesiastes’ comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title. The Hebrew title is Koheleth. And Koheleth means ‘to assemble’ or ‘to gather together’. The word can also be used to refer to the person who gathers people together so that he can teach them. In other words, Koheleth can mean ‘Teacher’.
So, the English title ‘Ecclesiastes’ comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title which means ‘Teacher’. And according to verse 1 of chapter 1, the book contains the words of the Teacher.
Who was the Teacher? The traditional view is that the Teacher is King Solomon. So, take a look at verse 1 of chapter 1 where he’s described as the son of David, king of Jerusalem. And then jump down to verse 12 of chapter 1, where the Teacher speaks and says: ‘I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.’ The phrase, ‘son of David’ can refer to any of David’s descendants. But Solomon was the only descendant of David who was king of Israel in Jerusalem because after Solomon’s death, the kingdom of Israel was divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. And while David’s descendants continued to reign in Jerusalem, they did not reign over all of Israel, but only over Judah.
And so, the traditional view is that the Teacher is Solomon. And certainly, many of the things the Teacher says in the book correspond to what we know about Solomon’s reign.
However, the traditional view is not the only view and there are scholars who say that the Teacher was someone else. For instance, perhaps the writer was a kind of ghost-writer who was writing in the style of Solomon. Or some scholars believe the book was written by two individuals: there’s the Teacher himself and then there’s a kind of narrator. They say that the narrator introduces the book in verses 1 to 11 of chapter 1 and then hands over to the Teacher in verse 12 of chapter 1, who begins by saying, ‘I, the Teacher…’ and so on. And then, the narrator takes over again from verse 9 of chapter 12 and concludes the book.
So, some scholars suggest that there’s an unnamed narrator who begins and closes the book. However, other commentators say that the Teacher could have written the opening and closing himself. Apparently there are other examples in the ancient world of authors introducing their work and concluding it in the same way. That is, they introduce themselves in the third person; then the body of the text is in the first person; and then they conclude the book in the third person again.
I’m happy to accept that there’s only one author and that the one author is Solomon. However, I don’t think it really matters, because ultimately it was all written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
And what’s it about? He begins by saying to us in verse 2:
‘Meaningless! Meaningless!
says the Teacher.
Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless!
The word translated ‘meaningless’ is the Hebrew word for vapour or breath or mist. And it carries a range of meanings. So, it can mean fleeting, temporary, ephemeral: something that doesn’t last or something that is frail or unreliable. It can also mean puzzling. If there’s mist or fog covering some object, then you aren’t sure what the object is, because you can’t see it clearly. You’re not sure what it is. And so, if something is like that, then it puzzles us. And then the Hebrew word can also mean futility or pointless or useless.
So, this one word can mean all of those things. But perhaps the NIV’s ‘meaningless’ captures all of those other meanings. If something is fleeting and puzzling and pointless, we might say it is meaningless.
And the Teacher is actually using a superlative. A literal translation of verse 1 is:
Vapour of vapours.
Vapour of vapours, says the Teacher.
Vapour of vapours.
It’s like the phrase ‘King of kings’ which refers to the greatest king; and ‘Holy of holies’ which refers to the most holy place; and ‘Song of Songs’ which refers to the best song. So, ‘vapour of vapours’ is the greatest vapour, the strongest vapour, the thickest of vapours. He’s saying that everything is, not just meaningless, but it’s absolutely and completely meaningless.
And then he also repeats another important phrase throughout the book, which is ‘under the sun’. You can see it there in verse 3 where he says: ‘What does a man gain from all his labour at which he toils under the sun?’ And the phrase ‘under the sun’ refers to this world and our life in this world. And it refers in particular to this fallen world which is under the curse of God.
When God created the world in the beginning, everything he made was good, even very good. Once everything was very good. But now, according to the Teacher, everything under the sun — everything in this fallen world of ours — is meaningless. It’s not the way it’s supposed to be. And so, what does anyone get from all their labour at which they toil under the sun? What benefit do people get from what they do? What advantage do they gain from their hard labour? What’s the point of it all?
And perhaps the Teacher is starting to sound cynical. Perhaps he’s starting to sound depressing. What’s the point of doing anything, because it’s all meaningless? It’s all a waste of time. And it seems to some commentators that his message is cynical or depressing. But I think we need to turn to the end of the book and consider its conclusion. That’s always a good way to read any book: look at the introduction and look at the conclusion and they will help you to see what the rest of the book is about. And when we turn to the last two verses of the last chapter, what do we read?
Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
So, here’s the conclusion of the book. This is where we’re headed. The Teacher is teaching us that we’re to fear God. That is, we’re to worship him. And we’re to keep his commandments. That is, we’re to walk in his ways. That’s the whole of man, he says. That’s our duty, our task, our purpose. While we going on living in this fallen world, we’re to worship God and we’re to walk in his ways. That’s what we’re to do.
And so, whenever we see the phrase ‘under the sun’ in this book, we’re to remember that the purpose of life is not found ‘under the sun’, but above the sun. It’s found in worshipping God and in walking in his ways.
1:1–11
Let’s turn now to verses 1 to 11 of chapter 1 which is the opening of the whole book.
I’ve already referred to verses 1 and 2 where we’re told that these are the words of the Teacher who was son of David and king of Jerusalem. As I’ve said, the traditional view is that the Teacher is Solomon. And he announces in verse 2 that everything is meaningless. This is what he has concluded from his observation of life in this fallen world.
Fortunately, we’re not limited to what we observe, because God has given us his special revelation to help us to understand what we observe. He’s given us the Bible to help us to make sense of what we learn about him and about ourselves from the world around us. When we look at the world, when we study ourselves, when we study history, there are things which puzzle us. We can’t make sense of them. Then we pick up and read the Bible and it begins to make more sense, because there we learn that God made us and he made us to worship him and to walk in his ways and he controls and directs all things according to his most holy and perfect will.
That’s what we learn from God’s word. But for now, the Teacher is writing about his own observations about life in this fallen world under the sun. And life seems meaningless to him. And so, he asks in verse 3 what do we gain from all our labour at which we toil under the sun. The words ‘labour’ and ‘toil’ suggest hard labour. Think of the Lord’s words to Adam after the fall, when he declared:
Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life….
By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food.
Because of the fall, work will be hard. In fact, life will be hard and difficult and frustrating. So, what do we get from it all? What do we gain? What benefit do people receive from all their hard work day by day?
That’s his opening question. And the answer follows in verses 4 to 11. And the answer can be summarised as: nothing much. And his answer is ‘nothing much’, because everything just goes round and round in an endless cycle and we don’t really get anywhere.
So, generations come and generations go, but the earth remains the same. We’re born, we live and we die. And then it’s all repeated, but with a new generation which is born, and lives and dies.
The sun rises at one side of the earth and then it sets at the other. And then it’s all repeated the next day. And the wind blows to the south and then to the north. Round and round it goes, round and round or back and forth. It’s all repeated.
All streams flow into the sea, but the sea is never full. So, think of a bath. We turn on the taps and eventually the bath is full of water and we can turn the taps off. But the sea never gets full. And so, the rivers keep flowing into it continually, without stopping. They go on and on and on, day after day, without getting anywhere or reaching an end.
All things are wearisome, he says in verse 8. Everything just goes on and on and one day is the same as the next and we don’t get anywhere.
And the eye never has enough of seeing and the ear never has enough of hearing. We don’t say that we’ve seen everything we need to see and we can stop now. We don’t say we’ve heard all the music we need to hear and we’ll stop. No, we want to see more and we want to hear more, because we’re never satisfied. The world of nature keeps going; and we keep going, because we’re never satisfied. We’re never full. We never get anywhere. And so, what do we get for all our activity and work?
And there’s nothing new. What has been will be again. What has been done will be done again. And there’s nothing new under the sun. Think of the movies that are made and how often they’re remakes of old ones, because it seems it’s all been done before and there are no new ideas. When we see something we think is new, there’s someone to tell us that no, that was done before a long time ago. It was here before our time.
And so, under the sun, it all goes round and round. Everything is repeated. Everything goes on and on in this wearisome monotony. And there’s no remembrance of men, he says in verse 11. Even those who are yet to come will not be remembered. Yvonne was clearing out her mum’s house and came across these old photos. But who are these people in the photos? We have no idea. And though I remember my maternal grand-parents, I know next to nothing about their life and who their parents were. And I have no memory whatsoever of my paternal-grandparents. Generations come and go. They come and go. They come and go. They’re here and then they’re gone. And who remembers them or anything they did?
People wonder what’s the point of their life? What did I achieve during my lifetime? Did I do anything remarkable? Whatever I did was done by someone else before. So, there’s nothing new. There’s nothing unique. And what did I get for all my activity and work? What’s the point of it all?
1:12–18
And so, the Teacher sets himself the task of trying to figure life out. And I think what we have in verses 12 to 18 is the summary of what he did and of what he discovered about life in this fallen world under the sun.
So, he says in verse 13 that he devoted himself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. The phrase ‘under heaven’ probably means the same as ‘under the sun’. And he says in verse 14 that he has seen all the things that are done under the sun. So, he’s made a careful observation of life in this fallen world.
In verse 16 he makes clear that he thinks he’s up to the task, because he’s grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone before him. So, if anyone can figure life out, it’s him. If anyone can figure out the purpose of life and what it’s for and how to have a happy life, it’s him.
And according to verse 17, he was resolved to apply himself to the understanding of wisdom and also of madness and folly. So, perhaps he’ll find answers in wisdom. But perhaps he’ll find answers in madness and folly. He’s willing to look for answers anywhere and everywhere. His search for meaning and purpose and happiness will be thorough.
That’s the summary of what he did. And what’s the summary of what he discovered? Take a look at the end of verse 13: ‘What a heavy burden God has laid on men!’ And take a look at verse 14: ‘I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.’ And he continues in verse 15: ‘What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.’ So, some things in life are twisted. They are bent out of shape. They are broken. Think of all the problems of society which every generation tries to fix, but no-one succeeds. And what is lacking cannot be counted. In other words, the solution is lacking. We don’t know what it is.
And then take a look at verse 18 where he says that with much wisdom comes much sorrow; and the more knowledge, the more grief. He’s saying that his research hasn’t led to joy and happiness. Instead it’s led to sorrow and grief. He set out to find purpose and meaning and joy in life. But his search has only led to sorrow.
That’s the summary of what he did and of what he discovered about life under the sun. And in the next chapter, he tells us what he did in more detail.
2:1–11
Let’s turn now to verses 1 to 11 of chapter 2. He wants to find out what is good. He wants to find meaning and purpose. He wants to get something out of life.
And so, first of all he tried pleasure and entertainment. He mentions laughter in verse 2. He’s perhaps thinking of people laughing when they’re playing a game or when they’re at a party and everyone is laughing and enjoying themselves.
And he also tried cheering himself up with wine and he embraced folly.
Jump down to the middle of verse 8 now where he says that he acquired male and female singers and a harem as well. So, he had singers to entertain him. And he had a harem full of wives and concubines. And in verse 10 he says that he denied himself nothing his eyes desired and he refused his heart no pleasure. He did whatever he wanted.
So, he tried pleasure and entertainment.
And he also tried work. According to verse 4, he undertook great projects. He threw himself into his work and he built houses and vineyards and gardens and parks and he planted all kinds of fruit trees. He also made reservoirs to water the trees. And he bought lots of slaves and he had lots of herds and flocks and he amassed silver and gold and the treasures of kings and provinces. He said in verse 9 that he became greater than anyone in Jerusalem before him. And this certainly matches what we read about Solomon in 1 Kings and how he became rich and built the temple in Jerusalem which was lined with gold; and he built a palace complex for himself; and people from all over the world admired him for his great wealth and for his great wisdom. The Queen of Sheba was astounded by all she saw, because the nation prospered under him.
And yet what did he discover about pleasure and work? Turn back to verse 1 where he said about pleasure that it proved to be meaningless. He went on to say that laughter is foolish. And then, according to verse 11, when he surveyed all that his hands had done and what he had toiled to achieve — when he surveyed his work — it seemed to him that everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind. It was like chasing the wind, which you’re never going to catch. Nothing was gained under the sun.
One of the commentators (Eaton) describes this as the morning after the night before. So, people enjoy themselves when they go out in the evening. But the next morning, they feel differently about it. Perhaps they’re ashamed because of something they did. Perhaps they regret something. Perhaps they wonder to themselves that it was all a lot of effort and money, but for what? What did they really get out of it. And people throw themselves into their work. They devote long hours and all their energy to pursuing their career or building up their business. Another person has their bucket list of all the things they want to do and the places they want to go and the experiences they want to enjoy before they die. But at the end of their life, they feel disappointed. What was it all for? What did they really get out of it?
2:12–16
In verses 12 to 16 he goes back to wisdom and madness and folly. And he concludes in verse 13 that wisdom is better than folly. It’s better to be wise than to be a fool. It’s better to do what’s wise than to do what is wicked.
However, then it occurred to him in verse 14 that what does it really matter, because the same fate overtakes both of them. He means that both of them will die. Whether you lived a wise life or a foolish and wicked life, you’ll still die. As he says in verse 15: ‘What then do I gain by being wise?’ What’s the point in seeking wisdom? This too is meaningless.
So, it’s hard to make sense of why we should seek wisdom, when the same fate awaits the wise and foolish person. And the wise man, like the foolish man, will not be remembered for long. Both of them will be forgotten eventually. Like the fool, the wise man must die, because everyone dies in this fallen world under the sun. Everyone dies and eventually, they will be forgotten.
2:17–23
And in the next part — which is verses 17 to 23 — he thinks about what will happen after he dies, when all the things he worked so hard to obtain in this life will be passed on to someone else. And who knows whether the person who inherits his property will be wise or foolish? He himself took great care over this stuff, but who knows what the next person will do with it? His heir might ruin all of his own good work. The child who inherits the father’s business may run it into the ground. A man may do his work with wisdom and knowledge and skill, but in the end it goes to someone who has not worked for it. And what will that person do with it?
So, what do I get for all my hard work and toil and care? What do I get for my anxious striving each day? He says in verse 23, that all his days — that is throughout his life — his work is pain and grief. Even at night, his mind does not rest and he’s thinking about his work. But what’s the point of all this hard work, when one day I’ll die and someone else will get it all. What’s the point?
2:24–26
And so, we come to the concluding part of today’s passage which is verses 24 to 26.
I should say that the commentators aren’t agreed on how to divide up the book, but at least one (Kaiser) thinks that the whole book can be divided into four parts and each part ends with a conclusion, where the writer raises his eyes above this fallen world under the sun to the God who is over all. That way of dividing the book makes sense to me. And so, in that case, what’s the conclusion to the first part of the book? It’s that a person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work.
The word translated ‘satisfaction’ in the NIV actually means ‘joy’. And eating and drinking signifies contentment. And that’s what Solomon has been looking for. That’s what he’s been searching for. Joy and contentment.
But no-one can find joy unless God gives it to him or her. And so, he says at the end of verse 24 that this is from the hand of God. Being able to find joy and contentment comes from God. Without God, who can eat or find enjoyment? And so, joy is the gift of God. Because we live in this fallen world which is under the curse of God, and which is subject to frustration, we won’t find any joy in any activity unless the Lord our God gives it to us. But with the Lord’s help, we can find joy and contentment in whatever we do.
I’m reminded of our church’s Shorter Catechism and its explanation of the fourth request in the Lord’s Prayer which is for our daily bread. The Catechism says that in this request we pray that by God’s free gift we may receive a sufficient share of the good things of this life, and enjoy his blessing with them. So, it’s one thing to receive what we need and it’s another thing to receive God’s blessing too. Lots of people have lots of things, but without God’s blessing, they cannot really enjoy those things and their life is full of turmoil and trouble.
And so, joy is the gift of God. And look at verse 26: to the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom and knowledge and happiness. God gives those who please him wisdom and knowledge to know how to live wisely and well. And he gives them happiness as well. He gives them joy. He may not give them wealth or success or fame. But if he gives them wisdom and knowledge and happiness, then that’s more than most rich, successful and famous people have. And it’s what we really want in life.
And then, according to verse 26, to the sinner God gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, he says. He means the task of gathering and storing up wealth only to hand it over to someone else is meaningless. What was the point of obtaining all that wealth when it will go to someone else? And so, the life of the sinner, the life of the unbeliever, who lives in this fallen world under the sun is meaningless. Whatever they get will go to someone else. But to the one who pleases God, God gives joy and contentment.
Conclusion
In Romans 8 Paul says that the creation was subjected to frustration. He means that because of Adam’s sin in the beginning, the world is not the way it’s supposed to be. All kinds of things happen which make people weep and which frustrate people and disappoint them and make them wonder what’s the point? Everything in this fallen world seems meaningless. Futile. And puzzling.
And yet, God is good. God is good. He is good to his people who know him and who worship him and who seek to walk in his ways, because he enables them to find joy and happiness. He enables us to find contentment in our daily lives and in the work we do and in the rest we take. And so, we should ask our Heavenly Father to give us the joy and contentment we need, which so many people in this fallen world lack, so that instead of wondering what’s the point, we’ll spend our days giving thanks to him for his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
But not only that, God came down into this fallen world under the sun. He came down to us in the person of his Son in order to rescue us from this fallen world and to give us everlasting joy and happiness in this presence in the new and better world to come. God’s Only Begotten Son left the joy of heaven and came down to earth as one of us so that he could give up his life on the cross to pay for all our sins and shortcomings. He suffered, shedding his blood to cleanse us of our guilt. And after he was raised from the dead, he sent his Spirit into our lives to enable us to believe so that we could receive the forgiveness of our sins and peace with God and the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of our bodies and of everlasting life and everlasting joy and happiness in the life to come, where God’s good creation will be set free from its present frustration and where all of God’s people will rejoice before him for ever and for ever.
Sermons and Stuff 