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. – Eccl. 1:3-4

Over the past two weeks we have considered both the overall message of Ecclesiastes as well as the life story of its author, Solomon. As we turn now to the proper study of the book we will examine Qohelet’s (The Preacher/Solomon) statement regarding the theme of the book as well as the question which he intends to explore throughout the work.

After identifying himself to demonstrate that what follows is his own personal testimony, Qohelet states the overall message of his work in 1:2: “All is vanity.” His use of the term ‘vanity’ (hebel) conveys that there is an inherit frustration to life because the things we desire most such as meaning, purpose, and significance seem to evade us in the end. This understanding of things is the ultimate result of his personal quest and is a key idea in the book, as demonstrated by the fact that 1:2 forms an inclusio with 12:8.

Qohelet did not, however, just decide this randomly. He instead came to understand it by way of personal experience as he sought the answer to the question which he poses in 1:3: “What does a man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” This question serves to explain the quest that he will take us on, searching to find some kind of ‘gain’ in life. Qohelet employs the word ‘gain’ (yitrown) here in seeking to determine if there is anything of lasting significance that can be gained in this life? This was the focus of his journey but, as 1:2 indicates, it was a fruitless quest in the end.

In order to illustrate this, Qohelet does something that men and women throughout history have done in attempting to make sense of the beauty and frustration of life; he writes a poem. In verses 4-11 Qohelet considers both the cycles of human life as well as those of the natural world, comparing and contrasting them using various kinds of imagery. His initial contrast is stated in 1:4 where he notes that generations of people come and go, but the earth continues to endure. He expands upon this by calling to mind the rising and setting of the sun (1:5), the movement of the winds (1:6), and the flowing of the waters throughout the earth (1:7), all of which are intended to bring to mind the idea of an endless cycle.  While mankind is outlasted by nature, the endless repetition of natural phenomena is reminiscent of the repetition of human experience.

Although the eye and ear are made for seeing and hearing, respectively, they never get their fill (1:8). In light of this, mankind seeks after novel experiences, however, “there is nothing new under the sun,” and thee have “been already in the ages before us” (1:9-10). These statements are not meant to literally say that ‘new’ things are not invented, only that the attempt to find satisfaction or meaning in life is ultimately the same quest throughout the ages. The reality, however, is that this quest will always be terminated in the end by our death. More than that, any lasting aspect of who we truly were as people will eventually be forgotten, even if memory of us endures because of our mark on history.

While Qohelet’s assessment of nature and the experience of life are true, they are also incomplete. The world in which we live has been subjected to ‘vanity’ or ‘futility,’ but that has been done intentionally by God through the curse of Gen. 3:17. Ironically, this curse is also a blessing because the weariness of life experience and the inability of the world around us to satisfy us cause us to look beyond the world to the God who created us. As we experience the weariness of life, we do not lose heart, knowing that there is hope “that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21). Jesus came into the world to undo the curse under which we live which was brought upon us by sin. Through Jesus, creation will be made ‘new’ in fulfillment of the promises of God (Isa. 65:17; Rev. 21:1), but in the meantime, He has begun that already in His people who are a ‘new creation’ in Him (2 Cor. 5:17).

Join us this Sunday as we come together to worship Jesus who has made us a new creation and who will one day restore all things and dwell with us forever!

Soli Deo Gloria.

-Thomas