The Credentials of the Preacher

All Is VANITY

Ecc 1:1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

What is a preacher? A collector of information/wisdom, he collects with a purpose - to share with others. He knows the value of ideas: good/bad. So, he shares what he learns for the good of the people to whom he advises.

Who is this preacher? Solomon, one writer says that Solomon’s name is absent because it points us to the ultimate son of David - Jesus. We can’t press that too far, but the source of all wisdom is God the Son and the best teacher of wisdom is Jesus.

Ecclesiastes is inspired scripture - don’t forget that. The 66 books of the protestant bible are the very words of God.

Interestingly Ecclesiastes is not quoted in the NT along with seven other books: Ezra, Song of Solomon, Zephaniah, Nehemiah, Nahum, Obadiah, and Esther.

Ecclesiastes falls within the wisdom literature of the OT.

The big idea of this book is that nothing satisfies forever.

Ecc 1:2 VANITY of VANITIES, says the Preacher, VANITY of VANITIES! All is VANITY.

Enigmatic - the word translated vanity could be rendered enigmatic. Which means “difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious.” (Oxford Languages via google)

Those kinds of things cause us to step back and think…

I have tended to think of vanity as being empty, but not all is empty. Some parts of life are very fulfilling: work, marriage, family, recreation, right? However, no matter what, or who, makes you happy, those sources are only temporary even if they last 50 years.

The big idea of Ecclesiastes is that we are not God, He matters the most and only what God does is enduringly substantial.

But we are committed to the idea that our work matters and if it doesn’t matter, then what’s the point?

Ecc 1:3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?

Ecc 1:4 A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

Ecc 1:5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.

Ecc 1:6 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.

Ecc 1:7 All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.

Ecc 1:8 All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

Ecc 1:9 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.

Ecc 1:10 Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us.

Ecc 1:11 There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.