Ecclesiastes #2

Introduction:

Connection:

Why are celebrities often the most depressed of all people? They have all they ever wanted—the money, sex, fame, and power—yet they mope through life with pain, agony, sorrow, and emptiness. Why is this? Because life is vanity, vapor, and hebel—because they are trying to satisfy their hearts with something that only the one, true and living God can fill up. In all our cycles and labors, we must realize that there is no lasting gain in this world of hebel.

Theme:

Cycles under the Sun, Zero Gain by Man

Need:

We need to be persuaded that this created world, with all it’s labor and effort, with all it’s beauty and glory, with all it’s love and truth, with all it’s goodness and mercy—that not a single drop of any of this will truly and deeply satisfy the human heart—why?—because the human heart was made for more the creation, it was made to be satisfied in the Triune God, our Creator and Redeemer, who is infinite and eternal, who is truth, beauty, and goodness Himself.

Purpose:

To convince us that there is no lasting gain in our toil under the sun, to rebuke us for trying to satisfy ourselves in this created world stained by hebel, to comfort us in the true gain that is in Christ alone, and to exhort us to be satisfied in the infinite and eternal beauty and glory that is in Jesus.

Recap:

Last Lord’s Day we learned that Solomon’s main point in Ecclesiastes is that life is a fleeting vapor, like breath, fog, or mist. The book is not about a lack of purpose, but rather, a lack of permanence. Now Solomon is going to spend the rest of his book proving his point, to evoke a godly and realistic response in your hearts by the Word and Spirit of God.

The text for this morning is going to plow the way for a sub-point in Ecclesiastes: life is gift, not gain.

Read Text:

Eccl. 1:3-11 ESV

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

(1) The Cycles of Nature Mock the Cycles of Ever Toiling Man - v. 3-7

Ecclesiastes 1:3–7 ESV

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. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. 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. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.

(1) The Cycles of Nature Mock the Cycles of Ever Toiling Man - v. 3-7

Here is the main question of these verses. In light of the fact that everything is a vapor, a mist, a fleeting moment, a hebel—in light of the fact that everything is stained by vanity and the curse—is there any gain in this life? Is there any reason to live? Is there any profit to our labour? Is there any fruit to our toil? Is there any abiding benefit to life under the sun? I hope you can tell that the way in which the Preacher asks the question shows that it is rhetorical in nature—the answer is obvious in light of verses 1-2—NO! There is no gain even after all the toil at which we toil under the sun. There is no abiding gain in this life of hebel—in this creation that is subjected to futility.

Some of you might be thinking in your hearts: no, I don’t believe that! I don’t believe that everything is a vapor! I don’t believe that there is no gain! Well, strap in, buckle up, and prepare yourself for Solomon’s masterful defence of his point: There is absolutely zero gain from our toil under the sun—he’s not saying there is no gain at all—but he is here to convince us that there‘a not an ounce of gain in this fallen world.

He begins with reminding us of the first thing that should convince us of the lack of gain under the sun, in this world filled with thorns and thistles, with decay and destruction—what is it? That word that no one likes to bring up at family gatherings—the d-word—Death. He says: A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever (v. 4).

You think you can store up enough satisfying happiness and eternal gain? Do you really think that you can sufficiently profit from your toil and labors in this fallen world? Solomon slaps us in the face, he shakes us by the shoulders, he knocks our feet out from beneath us and he says—you are going to die, your parents are going to die, your children are going to die, your family is going to die, your neighbours are going to die, your church-members are going to die, your leaders are going to die—in fact everyone who is alive in this present generation is going to die. Everything you toil and labour for will perish. Everything that you live for will vanish. Everything that you enjoy will be stolen from you. We are going to die, our generations; baby boomers, millenials, zoomers—call it whatever you want—we are going to come and go with the flash of a moment.

Bridges says: The changeableness of man, as contrasted with the permanency of his abode, furnishes another proof of utter vanity/vapor. Man are his labor are swept away, as if they had never been. The earth is a stage—persons passing and vanishing before our eyes. It is continually shifting its inhabitants. One generation passes away to make room for another. Fathers are going, children are coming after. None stayeth. The house abides, but the tenants are continually changing.

But Solomon doesn’t just want to remind us of death—he also wants to show us the frustration of life in hebel. Not only is our death certain, but our life is fleeting. In fact, as fallen humans, sinful men and women bound for the grave, the created order around us actually mocks us because it continues to abide longer than we do—it continues to follows its course while we are sent into the grave. Ps. 119:90

Psalm 119:90 ESV

Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.

A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever (v. 4). The earth is subjected to hebel too, just like we are, but the order of dominance has swapped. We were originally created to rule and reign over creation, under our covenant God, being fruitful and multiplying, having dominion over the soil and animal kingdoms, extending the gracious presence of God to the ends of the earth. We were meant to live forever, with the earth as our playground, and with the garden as our temple. We were meant to be a kingdom of priests over the land and seas, glorifying God and enjoying Him forever, but alas—the earth swallows us up. From dust we came, to dust we go. Hear those terrifying words of the curse spoken to Adam:

Genesis 3:17–19 ESV

And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

The earth which was given by God for our dominion—now has dominion over us. Every generation ends up rotting away in its soil. Be fruitful and multiply? The earth seems to respond—be shrivelled and boxed up. The earth continues to abide, forever—but we only last a handbreadth of days. Mount Everest remains strong and immovable. The Grand Canon is still a mile deep. The Niagara Falls are still breathtakingly stunning. But we come and go, with no lasting gain in this life of hebel. Vapor of Vapors, all is Vapor.

Now Solomon is going to use three word pictures to prove that the cycles of nature mock us and our certain death in this life of hebel—(1) The sun, (2) the wind, and (3) the sea.

(1) The sun: “The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises” (v. 5).

Every day you can count on the sun rising with a cycle of regularity, because of the promise of the Noahic Covenant. God promises by a sworn oath to all of creation in the Noahic Covenant, the sign of which is the rainbow, and he says this in one one of the promises: Gen. 8:21-22

Genesis 8:21–22 ESV

And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

Notice the last phrase of the promise: while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. Solomon says—exactly. Though we are grave-bound—the Sun is heat-bound. Though we are gone in a generation—the Sun is lasting forever. Though we are returning to the dust, the sun hastes to the place where it rises. The sun’s cycle of nature and permanence mocks our certain death and impermanence.

(2) The wind: 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” (v. 6).

Not only will the sun remain but the gusts of wind will keep circulating the earth, from north to south, from east to west, its circuit never runs up. The regular breeze will not cease to blow. The windstorms and squalls shall ever abide. Around and around goes the wind, like a merry-go-round—and it keeps on going in its circuit. Whereas round and round we go but we are in the grave before we even know it. Have you ever experienced deja vu? That similar moment from years ago comes back to you with a strange familiarity—it felt like yesterday—and that speediness will drive us all the way to the dust. The wind cycles of nature and permanence mocks our certain death and impermanence.

(3) The sea: All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again” (v. 7).

Not just the sun and wind, but also the streams of the sea. The rivers and streams never cease to flow, year by year they flow with strong or weak currents, high or low tides, as they rush toward the salty seas. So how come the sea never fills up and overflows? How come there is still land to walk on? Why is the sea not full? Because the water evaporates, and gets rained down again on the dry land, and then it collects up and floods toward the same sea that it came from. H20 lasts longer than the image-bearers of God. The sea’s cycle of nature and permanence mocks our certain death and impermanence.

Gibson writes: The sun chases its tail. The wind goes to the south and comes back around again to the north. Streams flow into the sea, and the water evaporates, and then streams flow into the sea again and it is never full. So is the world, and so it will always be. So is humankind, and so we will always be. People are like the insatiable sea. Just as water pours into the ocean again and again without ever filling it, so the things of the world pour into human beings via their eyes and ears and back out through their mouths, and yet they never reach a point of complete satisfaction.

Psalm 144:4 ESV

Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

Mark 8:36 ESV

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

The crown of God’s creation, male and female—have become the compost of nature—generation after generation—we come and we go. Is there any lasting gain by all the toil at which we toil under the sun? Can you yet agree with the inspired Solomon and say: NO—not in this life of vapor and hebel.

(1) The Cycles of Nature Mock the Cycles of Ever Toiling Man - v. 3-7

This takes us to the middle section of our text, and our second point:

(2) Life in Hebel leaves us Weary, Speechless, and Unsatisfied - v. 8

Ecclesiastes 1:8 ESV

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

(2) Life in Hebel leaves us Weary, Speechless, and Unsatisfied - v. 8

All is vanity, all is vapor, all is hebel—and because of that—all things are full of weariness, all is hard and difficult, all our labor has the sweat of the brow, work is gruesome at times, the hours are long, the tasks are painful, the breaks are short, the boss is cruel, and the co-workers are worldly. Whatever our vocation is in this life of hebel, we are deluding ourselves if we do not agree with Solomon that there is weariness that stains even the best of the good and perfect gifts that come down from above (Jam. 1:17)—why?—because those gifts are not coming to us in Eden or in the City of God; but in the Wilderness, in the Exile, in the Dispersion, in the Captivity, in this present evil age, in this world that is fading away. Even the good temporal gifts that are given to us will too disappear. Our house will crumble, our books will burn, our storage will rot, our pets will die, our beautiful gardens will turn into ugly weeds, our favourite sport arenas will be abandoned or forgotten, our preferred food and drinks, our pleasures and pursuits, our dreams and desires, they too are stained by hebel, and they too resound with weariness and futility, vanity and vapor.

Gibson says: [We love to play the let’s pretend game]. Let’s pretend that if we get the promotion, or see our church grow, or bring up good children, we’ll feel significant and leave a lasting legacy behind us. Let’s pretend that if we change jobs, or emigrate to the sun, we won’t experience the humdrum tedium and ordinariness of life. Let’s pretend that if we move to a new house, we’ll be happier and will never want to move again. Let’s pretend that if we end one relationship and start a new one, we won’t ever feel trapped. Let’s pretend that if we were married, or weren’t married, we would be content. Let’s pretend that if we had more money, we would be satisfied. Let’s pretend that if we get through this week’s pile of washing and dirty diapers and shopping lists and school runs and busy evenings, next week will be quieter. Let’s pretend that time is always on our side to do the things we want to do and become the people we want to be. Let’s pretend we can break the cycle of repetition and finally arrive in a world free from weariness.”

At this point, not even half way through the first chapter of Ecclesiastes—I hope the Lord, by his Word and Spirit is starting to peal back those false comforts, those false expectations, those false hopes, those false pillars, those false beliefs, those lies of the evil one—and I hope you can stare at the Book of Books with me and cry out with weariness of soul, burdened and heavy-laden by the hebel of hebels: all is a weariness! There is no gain under the sun! It is so great that a man cannot utter it.

When the weight of hebel throws us to the ground there should be some silence and solitude. There should be some sorrow and lament. There should be some pain and frustration. There should be some agony and anger. There should be some crying and weeping. There should be some pause and prayer. There should be some worldview-altering-changes-to-our-lives.

And I must add, beloved—Solomon is pastoring his congregation well here. Solomon is preparing us to live for the glory of God. Remember—in order to rejoicingly sing the song of the Gospel we must sorrowfully mope through the song of Hebel. Weeping lasts for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

But once this hits us square in the eyes, smack in the face—once we see Solomon’s point—we are left without excuse. James 4:17

James 4:17 ESV

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

We have to give up the make-belief, the fantasy, and the let’s pretend game. We need to stop pretending that we are in Eden—and remember that we are East of Eden. We need to stop pretending that we are in Canaan—and remember that we are in Babylon. We need to stop pretending that we are in Heaven—and remember that we are on Earth.

When Hebel pierces our hearts and souls—it should affect our entire lives with a radical impact. We need to stop storing up treasures on earth. We need to stop leaning all our weight on vanity. We need to stop living for the vapor of this world (It’s a grasping for the wind). We need to stop trying to build our own towers of Babel. And we need to start living for eternal things—for Glory—for Zion—for Crown and Covenant—for the City that is to come. We need to start denying ourselves daily and taking up our cross. We need to stop laboring for the food that perishes, and working for that which endues to eternal life (Jn. 6). With Jonathan Edwards we must plead with the Lord that he will stamp eternity on our eyeballs. Heaven and Hell need to be more real to us than Work and Play—eternal life and eternal death need to be more real to us than Comfort and Ease.

But what do we end up doing? Solomon says we continue to try and fill the void with hobbies and toys—trying to satisfy something than can only be filled by the Triune God: our hearts. The Preacher says: The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing (v. 8b).

We scroll through facebook for ages and find ourselves empty and upset at ourselves.

We watch TV and the News only to realize that it makes us depressed and sour.

We gaze upon the sunset but realize that it doesn’t make me whole.

We look at pornography thinking that sinful pleasure will fix my problems.

The eye is not satisfied with seeing.

We listen to audiobooks thinking that we will finally reach the place of wisdom that brings rest to our souls.

We put on music trying to make the melodies soothe our problems and bring us true shalom.

We tune in to the radio hoping that knowing the latest global update will establish us with joy.

We focus on the juicy gossip to satisfy our judgmental cravings and jealousy.

The ear is not filled with hearing.

What is the problem? We try to fill a God-sized hole with vapor, mist, dust, and pebbles. CS Lewis once said:

“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

(2) Life in Hebel leaves us Weary, Speechless, and Unsatisfied - v. 8

This brings us to our last point:

(3) Novelty is Powerless, and Legacies will Vanish under the Sun - v. 9-11

Ecclesiastes 1:9–11 ESV

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. Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.

(3) Novelty is Powerless, and Legacies will Vanish under the Sun - v. 9-11

Solomon almost expects an objection: well, if nothing around me can satisfy me, then I’ll invent something new! I’ll bring genuine novelty to satisfy. Clearly the past, clearly the old stuff, clearly the ancients were too unsophisticated to be satisfied in life. But us North American, enlightened, and atheistic thinkers can surely pull this off.

To this Solomon says: okay, go ahead and try, and come report back to me when it fails. Hebel of hebels, all is hebel. Trust me, I’ve been there, I’ve seen it all, I’ve done it all. I’ve travelled the world, I’ve been to the best restaurants, I’ve consulted the greatest scientists, I’ve invented so many gadgets and tools. It won’t work—it wont’ satisfy—how long will it take for us to get this! God help us.

Borgman helps us grasp this: “Human life and history go on and on like endless reruns. Life is like doing laundry. You wash the clothes. You dry the clothes. You fold the clothes. you put away the clothes. They end up in the laundry room a day later only to undergo the same monotonous process. Life is like changing diapers. It is like mowing your lawn. Furthermore, there is nothing new under the sun. Life itself reflects the laborious, ceaseless cycles. It is one puff of breath after another, each one like the one before. And no one can say about any part of it, look this is new! [Someone objects:] there is new stuff all the time! Qoheleth says, ‘not really’. The antagonist says, ‘well what about the internet, what about smart phones, what about technology?’. Qoheleth laughs. ‘You think that is new? let me tell you, all that stuff just moves information faster, but it is still just information. It entertains faster, but is is still just entertainment. By the way, he says with a smirk, have all those new gadgets made your life better ? Have they mitigated the pain of hebel? NO, they have not … There is nothing new under the sun”.

Consumerism and Materialism—Fast Food and One-Day-Delivery. These are the modern poisons that delude us into thinking that purchasing something new and quick and fresh and stylish—that if I just get along with the next FAD, if I just follow the flow, if I just get another book, or game, or bike, or shirt, or toy—if only I had xyz, then I would be happy. To this Solomon says: it is not from wisdom that you say such things. This is foolish. We have been duped. We need to repent. Solomon declares:

Ecclesiastes 1:14 ESV

I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

Novelty fails—there is nothing new under the sun. Inventions are never creations—which is why they aren’t truly new. Idols are always old, they are just renovated to look new. What was once the god of Molech in the OT is not the god of Choice in Abortion. There is nothing new under the sun. Those who say: See, this is new! It has been already in the ages before us (v. 10). Novelty will leave you hanging.

But what about legacy? Surely if I leave a lasting legacy and memory that will bring some gain in this life, won’t it? Solomon says: There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after (v. 11). This too is vapor, this too is hebel. All my efforts, all my toil, all my legacy—it too will be forgotten, built over, and left unwritten while the world goes on and on. There is no lasting gain in earthly comforts, in worldly pursuits, or in human toil. Novelty and Legacy both leave us empty and defeated. There is no gain in all our toil under the sun—in this life of hebel.

Hundreds of years after Solomon lived and died came a prophet by the name of Jeremiah—filled with the Holy Spirit—and he uttered these famous words:

Jeremiah 31:31 ESV

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,

What? I thought there was nothing new under the Sun? Oh yes that is very true. But this new covenant doesn’t come from under the sun. This new covenant comes from the Son of God who reigns above the Sun. This new covenant comes in the Sun of Righteousness who rises with healing in its wings. This new covenant comes with a new kingdom, and a new creation, and a new temple, and a new Garden, and a new heavens and new earth! This new covenant comes with new blessings from the age to come: forgiveness of sins, peace with God, a living hope, eternal rewards, a purpose and mission, work as unto the Lord, a Lord who will never forget even the least of our love, a King who will dispense grace upon all who repent and believe.

Every Sunday we hear the words new and remember in the same sentence. Can you think of when that is? At the Lord’s Supper! “This is the new covenant in my blood, do this in remembrance of me” (Lk. 22; 1 Cor. 11). In Christ there is something new under the sun—and this is abiding. There is true profit, there is true gain, there is true benefit in Jesus—His redemption and blessings never cease, they never perish, they never fade—the Gospel is the only thing that is not stained by hebel. What gain is there under the sun? Nothing. But what gain is there in Jesus? EVERYTHING! All is yours in Christ—the entire inheritance and every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places—your name is written on it, dear Christian!

Matthew 5:3–12 ESV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

1 Corinthians 3:21–23 ESV

So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Through simple faith and repentance, forsaking sin and our satisfaction in the creation, clinging to Jesus Christ alone, his life, death, and resurrection—his beauty and glory—his blessings and hope—his satisfying grace and sufficient salvation—resting in Him alone—at last we break free from death and decay, the shackles of the grave and unleashed, the weariness of hebel is destroyed, the burden of trying to fill our hearts with the world is let go—we are made new creatures in Christ—God will remember our iniquities no more—but He will remember his covenant of grace forever and ever:

Bridges again proclaims: Never, surely, can there be satisfaction to the eye, till it be singly fixed upon the one object—to the ear, till it listens to those breathings of love, which welcome the heaven laden, to the only true rest. Is it not the real apprehension of the Saviour, that gives life, energy, and joy to our religion? The object is full of fresh and sweet variety. To the new creature it is a new existence; all things become new. The appetite is fully satisfied even with present gratification. He that comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Eternity opens with the bright anticipation of perfect enjoyment. The heavenly Shepherd shall be our Feeder. The living fountain of waters shall be an eternally satisfying delight (Rev. 7:16-17).

John 16:22 ESV

So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

John 16:33 ESV

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

In Christ alone—Solus Christus! Come to Jesus—Rest in Him—for until then, your hearts will remain restless, and your souls will remain under the wrath of God—only Jesus, only Jesus can bring the healing and salvation we need. Do not tarry till you’re better, or you will never come at all.

(3) Novelty is Powerless, and Legacies will Vanish under the Sun - v. 9-11

Hear now our conclusion:

(C) The Cycles of Nature leave us Unsatisfied and without Gain—Such Gain and Satisfaction are in Christ Alone.

Song of Solomon 5:10 ESV

My beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand.

Song of Solomon 8:6 ESV

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord.

Philippians 1:21 ESV

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

1 Timothy 4:8 ESV

for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Psalm 17:15 ESV

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

John Piper says: God is most glorified by us, when we are most satisfied in Him.

(C) The Cycles of Nature leave us Unsatisfied and without Gain—Such Gain and Satisfaction are in Christ Alone.

Amen, let’s pray.

Questions for Discipleship Groups: