Christ Through the Bible- Ecclesiastes

Text: The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labor which he taketh under the sun? ...

The book of Ecclesiastes provides a blunt example of how applicable the Old Testament can be in today's world. The title of the book comes from the Greek word for "preacher" or "teacher."

King Solomon goes through a list of things he tried in seeking fulfillment: career achievements, materialism, alcohol, pleasure, even wisdom. His conclusion? All of it is "meaningless." The King James Version of the Bible translates the word as "vanity," but the New International Version uses "meaningless," a concept most of us find easier to understand.

You will agree, this is a strange way to begin a book of the Bible: "Meaningless! Meaningless!... Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." Often, we think one of the chief purposes of the Bible to explain to us what the meaning of life is all about.  Here it says: "Everything is meaningless." To resolve this concept, we must learn the essential principle in Biblical interpretation: The writings of the Bible must be understood in the context in which they were intended.

Whenever you face a difficulty or apparent contradiction in the Bible, you must search out, investigate, and understand the context in which the passages are set. The framework for the Book of Ecclesiastes is explicitly stated in verse 13 of chapter 1: "I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is one under heaven." The Book of Ecclesiastes is the result of the author's studies, as he explored "by wisdom" (that is, by human wisdom), all that is done "under heaven" (that is, in the world, on earth). Ecclesiastes is a very comprehensive statement of human wisdom from a man on earth.

Ecclesiastes offers a unique perspective on human life — a view that is extremely relevant to the church today.  When we are focusing our attention on this life rather than the next, there is an imbalance in our life. The life of man is filled with seeking satisfaction in life.  Ecclesiastes is relevant primarily for our culture because it tackles many of the temptations posed by secularism. Ecclesiastes is the most contemporary book in the Bible. It is an attack on a materialistic society. It exposes the mad quest to find satisfaction in knowledge, wealth, pleasure, work, fame, and yes sex.
Even with many Christians, life is all too often presented as if it were more a matter of waiting for something than an issue of living. 

The Book of Ecclesiastes is one of the most critical assets of the Christian church since it compels us to continually evaluate and correct our understanding of God and our teaching about God in the light of the whole of biblical revelation.  The reflections of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes unveil the myth of human self-rule and self-sufficiency and steers us in all our weakness and failure to find meaning in a twisted world where the Creator-creature relationship should be the priority of our life.

Solomon began as a man poised for greatness. Both his wisdom and wealth were legendary in the ancient world. As the son of David and Israel's third king, he brought peace to the land and launched a massive building program. Sounds like he had it all together. However, when he took hundreds of foreign wives and concubines, he began to backslide. Solomon let their idolatry influence him as he slipped farther away from the True God.

With its dreadful warnings and record of vainness, Ecclesiastes could be a depressing book, except for its appeal that true happiness can be found only in God. Written ten centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, the text of Ecclesiastes urges today's Christians to seek God first if they want to find purpose in their life.

Solomon captures the toil and joy, fleeting success and unanswered questions that we all experience in our work. Much of what the Teacher teaches is concise, practical and smart. Anyone who has ever worked on a team can appreciate the value of a maxim such as, "Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil" (Ecclesiastes 4:9). Most of us spend the largest portion of our waking lives working, and we find affirmation when the Teacher says, "I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this, will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun" (Eccl. 8:15).

The Teacher's picture of work is also deeply troubling. "I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after the wind" (Eccl. 2:11). Most of the negative observations about work threaten to discourage the reader. The Teacher opens with "vanity of vanities" (Eccl. 1:2) and ends with "all is vanity" (Eccl. 12:10). The words and phrases he repeats most often are "vanity," "chasing after wind," "not find out," and "can't find out." Ecclesiastes can be a very dreary book.

The task of making sense of the book is confusing. Does Ecclesiastes portray work as vanity, or does the Teacher sift through the many vain ways of working to find a core set of meaningful ones? Or, to the contrary, are the many positive maxims and observations negated by an overall assessment of work as "chasing after the wind"? The answer depends in large part on how we approach the book in our own lives.

One way to read Ecclesiastes is to take it as merely a tossed salad of observations about life, including work. Under this approach, the Teacher is primarily a realistic observer who reports the ups and downs of life as he encounters them. Each observation stands on its own as a bit of wisdom. If we draw useful advice from, say, "There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink and find enjoyment in their toil" (Eccl. 2:24), we need not be too concerned that it is followed shortly by, "This also is vanity and a chasing after wind" (Eccl. 2:26).

There is another term, "under the sun," which cannot escape our notice as we read Ecclesiastes. It occurs 29 times in the book, but nowhere else in the Bible. Why does the Teacher use this phrase so often? Does he mean to reinforce the futility of work by the example of the sun circling endlessly across the sky while nothing ever changes? Or does he imagine there might be a world beyond the Fall, not "under the sun," where work would not be in vain?

"Meaningless! Meaningless!... Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?"(vs. 2-3). Is this the important teaching for which the "Teacher" has assembled us? This is far from uplifting. This is downright depressing! With these statements, the "Teacher" states the theme of the book of Ecclesiastes, by use of a sweeping conclusion and a guiding question.  The sweeping conclusion: "Meaningless! Meaningless!" The guiding question: "What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?"  Most of the rest of the book consists of Solomon's search—by his wisdom, by human wisdom—for meaning.

As we shall see, rather than "meaning," Solomon finds "vanity" at every turn. This happens even though Solomon searches for meaning (seemingly) in all the right places. He searches for meaning through the pursuit of wisdom, through pleasure, through the undertaking of great projects, through hard work and achievement, through riches. Each of these things is pleasing to the eye, and a promising place to find meaning. I dare say that all of us desire more of each of these things in our lives. But Solomon, who had the power and the means to explore each of these things, far from finding his life enriched by these things, was left with a feeling of emptiness, a sense that he had been merely chasing after the wind.

As king, Solomon's studies in wisdom were undertaken with the goal of trying to improve life as the ruler of the nation.  The conclusion of these studies: "What a heavy burden God has laid on men!  I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them meaningless, a chasing after the wind.  What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted" (vs. 13–15).  Solomon realized that, despite all of his wisdom, and despite the power he had as king, he could not "straighten" what was "twisted", he could not supply what was "lacking."  The burden on a man alone, trying to lead a nation by his power, trying to "straighten" what is "twisted."  Jesus says, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:28–30).  Jesus demonstrated His ability to "straighten" what is "twisted" when He straightened the crippled woman who had been bent over for 18 years (see Luke 13:11–17), and when He straightened the shriveled hand so that it was completely restored (see Matt. 12:10–13).  And Jesus has demonstrated that he can supply what is "lacking" through the lives of countless millions who have come to Him for fulfillment.  As He promised the woman at the well: "Everyone who drinks [the water of this world] will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst" (John 4:13–14).

Solomon thought that human wisdom could solve all problems, so he set out to become the wisest man in the world: "I thought to myself, ‘Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge'" (vs. 16).  But the more he understood wisdom, and the workings of the world, the more he understood the limits of human wisdom: "Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind" (vs. 17).  Not only did Solomon discover that human wisdom could not solve all problems, but he also learned that there were drawbacks to being wise: "For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief" (vs. 18).  As we study and become wiser in the ways of the world, we saw how truly dark and lost the world is: "With much wisdom comes much sorrow." As we learn history or read about current events in the newspaper, we learn of the misery of fallen man: "The more knowledge, the more grief." Undeniably, the benefits of human wisdom are limited.

 What Solomon did not immediately realize was that what is "twisted" in the world, and what is "lacking" in the world is due to the fall of man and the continuing sin of men.  No man can remedy this. As one writer stated, "The imperfection in the arrangements of the world is a result from the fall.  All attempts to rectify this imperfection without recognition of the fall of man are vain. The dislocated state of all creaturely things, subject as they are to vanity, is designed to bring us, in despair of bettering them, to take refuge in God".  Yes, "what a heavy burden God has laid on men!" But, Jesus invited: "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give rest.

Solomon warns against such fickleness regarding our relationship with God, as he speaks on the reverence due God.  Solomon starts with a warning against meaningless worship: "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.  Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong" (vs. 1).

"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God." Do not go frivolously; make sure your heart is prepared.  Make sure you understand properly what the worship of God means:  Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools." An accurate understanding of the things of God is crucial for effectual worship.  Many remain unaffected at worship services because they do not truly understand the things of God and so, are unable to contemplate who God is and are unable to appreciate all that God has done for them.

"Go near to listen," so that you may hear of the righteousness and holiness of God.
"Go near to listen," so that you may hear of the power and majesty of God.
"Go near to listen," so that you may know and understand the love of God.  He has given His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins, so that we may dwell with Him. 

Oh, the love of God! Meditate upon His love, and your worship of Him will thrive. The songwriter understood the importance of the love of God when he wrote: 

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell
The guilty pair bowed down with care
God gave His Son to win
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin
Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Secondly, Solomon warns against carelessness while praying: "Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.  God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so let your words be few.  As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words" (vs. 2 –3).  When we pray, we must remember who we are praying to––the LORD of the Universe––and show Him the reverence He deserves.  As Jesus taught: "When you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words" (Matt. 6:7)

So is there any hope for man?
"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:  Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man" (vs. 13).  As Solomon discovered, human wisdom leads us nowhere but to "meaninglessness."  Many people ask, "How can I find happiness?" or "How can I find satisfaction in life?" or "How can I find meaning in life?"  The answer is given concisely here, by Solomon: "Fear God and keep His commandments." As Solomon notes: "This is the whole [duty] of man." He says, "This is the whole of man" (the word "duty" was added by translators).  To fear God, and keep His commandments, is the "whole of man." Human wisdom leads to meaninglessness and emptiness; fearing God leads to wholeness. To fear God means to realize that God is the Creator of all and that He is in control of everything that occurs in this life, as well as the life to come. One writer put it this way, "The remarkable thing about fearing God is that, when you fear God, you fear nothing else; whereas, if you do not fear God, you fear everything else" If one fears God, he will naturally seek to "keep His commandments." As John told us: "This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome" (I John 5:3). Solomon concludes the book with an overriding reason for following his last piece of advice: "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" (vs. 14).  After we die, we will be judged.  There is no way around this.  Man is "destined to die once," and "after that, to face judgment" (Heb. 9:27).  We will be judged by God, through Jesus Christ.  Knowing this, it makes sense to "Fear God, and keep His commandments."
Jesus, The Great Teacher, sums up Solomon's quest this way:

  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore, I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? or, what shall we drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed?  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Here is the key to finding satisfaction in life.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Are you looking for satisfaction in life?  Does your life feel meaningless?  There is one who can speak to your condition—Jesus Christ.  Turn your life over to Him and let Him put meaning in your life.