What Are You Pursuing? - Ecclesiastes 1
Ecclesiastes 1:1-18
©April 19, 2020 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche
Some people who are handy with engines and other mechanical things (people whom I greatly admire) will tell you they have loved taking things apart from an early age. Some drove their parents crazy because of this. The amazing thing is they learned how to take things apart and how to put them back together again. Sometimes they even improved how it worked. These things just "made sense" to them.
If I took something apart, I would have to turn to Amazon and purchase a new one. It doesn't make sense to me. We all have different things we are good at.
I share this with you because I believe the book of Ecclesiastes is a book written by a master of wisdom. The writer's name was Solomon. He was the son of King David and ruled over Israel. He was known for his wisdom. The most famous example of this was when two women came to him claimed that the same child was their baby. Solomon told the guard to cut the child in two so each of the women could have a half of the baby. One woman said, "No, No, No, give the child to the other woman." Solomon knew this was the true mother.
Solomon also authored most of the book of Proverbs and the love poem called either the Song of Songs or the Song of Solomon.
We are going to look at Ecclesiastes over the next few months. We will try to move rapidly (for us) because the book can weary people. It is a difficult and seemingly depressing book to read. This is because you have to understand what He is doing. Solomon is, if you will, taking apart life as we know it and putting it back together. He is giving us a new perspective, an important perspective on life.
One author says the message of the book of Ecclesiastes is this: “we live in a society that lives moment by moment trying to build a life of meaning and purpose. We make choices hoping to reach that level of success and happiness that is sought after in life.”[1] The author calls this living frontwards. Solomon, through this book is going to contend that living frontwards will end up in futility. HOWEVER, if we live our life backwards . . . if we start with the ultimate purpose and goal in life (which is a focus on God and our relationship to Him) and then work back from there, then we will find life to be rich and satisfying.
At its core, Ecclesiastes is a book that shows us the contrast between faith and culture. Solomon is going to take us on a journey. He will examine the different ways humankind looks for meaning and fulfillment and he will contrast that with the way of God. He will point us to the way life was meant to be lived.
2 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”
David Gibson notes,
the Hebrew word hebel [translated here as meaningless] is also accurately translated as “breath” or “breeze.” The Preacher is saying that everything is a mist, a vapor, a puff of wind, a bit of smoke.[2]
Solomon says all of life is meaningless or it is just a breath. The idea is that life passes by quickly and our search for significance and purpose seems futile. You probably have had similar thoughts. Perhaps you have said at one time or another, "What's the point?"
You work hard but you still can't make ends meet
You have lots of money, but you aren't happy
Someone dies and all the things they treasured are either fought over or disposed of as junk.
No matter how hard you try, it feels like nothing really ever seems to change.
There is a phrase here I want you to pay attention to. It is the phrase "under the sun." It refers to life lived in the natural realm; in other words, the way most people live. This is going to give us the key that helps us to find meaning and purpose in life. Every time Solomon uses this phrase he is telling us what normal (without a relationship with God) in the world.
Chuck Swindoll wrote
This is the way Solomon described how he felt before his journey, while he endured his journey, and after the journey was over. Nothing satisfied. There was nothing he saw, discovered, attempted, produced, initiated, or concluded as a result of his lengthy search that result in last significance or person satisfaction. . . . In spite of the extend to which he went to find happiness, because he left God out of the picture, nothing satisfied. It never will. Satisfaction in life under the sun will never occur until there is a meaningful connection with the living Lord above the Sun.[3]
The Example of Nature
3 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.
Day after day, year after year, the same things happen. The sun rises, the sun sets. It rains, it floods, and then it seems we need rain. We even talk about the rainy season, or Hurricane season, or the dog days of summer. We do this because of the cyclical nature of life. The weather changes and the seasons change but there is a cycle that repeats year after year.
One disease seems to get under control, and another seems close behind it. Life seems to crank out one trial after another. It is almost as if nature itself is on a treadmill. In Romans 8, Paul says,
Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. (Romans 8:20-23)
Paul recognizes that creation itself is bound in futility and decay. The answer, however, is in what lies ahead. It is not a gold ring we strive for; it is the life Jesus purchased for us at the cross. And this is the tension we will see throughout Ecclesiastes. Solomon brings us to the crossroad between Christ and culture; between faith and futility; the life of the sinful nature and the life that God has prepared for us.
It is important that you keep in mind where Solomon is heading, or you can become really depressed reading this book. Solomon is looking at life without a relationship with God. You can amuse yourself in this world but you will not find true joy or satisfaction apart from Christ because life by itself is futility. You live, you die, and that’s it.
The Example of History
9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11 We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.
We marvel at the rate of technological advances. Yet, no matter what happens people still die, violence remains, wars continue to be fought, and no matter how much stuff we have . . .we want more. The more technology we seem to develop the more some people seem to be able to use it for evil purposes. Our toys just continue to distract us from the real issues of life . . . issues that would make us consider the brevity of life and the meaning of that life.
We think we are making a real contribution to the world, but the reality is, we will work hard in our lives and when we die the world will not be significantly any different because we were here, or because we are gone. People may (or may not) line up for our funeral but when the funeral is over, they will go back to work and it will begin the process of our being forgotten. A generation, perhaps two, after we have died, we will be largely just a name on a genealogical chart.
I started writing books because I hoped it would give me the chance to expand our ministry and hopefully leave part of my heart and my faith behind for my family to embrace. However, early in the process I needed to come to grips with some stark realities: 1) I was not going to make any money doing this. 2) The books you labor to write will someday be sold for a nickel in a yard sale (if you are lucky).
This is the reality of life. We work for a couple of weeks to write a sermon, the points of which, most people will not remember by the afternoon. (In truth, sometimes I don't remember the points!)
You may work really hard for years to be a good friend to someone and then they toss you away like you were nothing or they are quick to believe what someone else said about you without even talking to you. You give your life to a job only to be downsized a few years before retirement. Or maybe you make it to retirement and if you are lucky you get a gold watch or a plaque before you are replaced. You save, save, save for retirement but then you are diagnosed with a disease, or the stock market takes a huge hit because of a pandemic, and all that money disappears. It just doesn't make any sense. There are days all of us feel like we are running in place.
These are depressing thoughts aren’t they? They are designed to get our attention and to provoke us to ask ultimate questions.
Solomon's Mission
12 I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. 14 I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.
15 What is wrong cannot be made right.
What is missing cannot be recovered.
16 I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.” 17 So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind.
18 The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief.
To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.
The book of Ecclesiastes is a record of Solomon's search to find meaning in life. And he gives us a preview of what he found: meaninglessness.
Solomon tips his hand, giving us a little glimpse of where He is going with all of this. He talks about looking at what was done "under heaven" and what is going on "under the sun" and mentions God as the One who is above it all. The contrast is therefore between life without God and life with the Lord. These paths lead to two different destinations. Solomon is going to use all his wisdom to get us to FEEL what life is like apart from a relationship with God.
A person is not going to go see a Doctor until they are convinced or feel sick. People won't change their habits until they see the negative effects of those habits. That's what the old driver education films used to be about. I remember watching the film "Death on the Highway" which was designed to scare the carelessness right out of you.
In the same way, people won't turn to a Savior unless they recognize they need one. This is why we must talk about sin. It is not to beat people up. It is to wake them up! And this is what Solomon is doing. He is going to show us the darkness of living life under the sun so he can show us a better way of life under the Son of God.
Conclusions
Before you can understand the Bible, you need to understand the intent of the author. This is a book labeled "poetry" in the Bible. Poetry is about feeling things. It's writing designed to engage the emotions. You can contrast that with the Book of Romans which is written to engage the mind. The historical books are written largely to inform the mind . . . to give a context for the works of God. And the Apocalyptic literature (Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation) is written in symbols designed to paint a picture in our mind. Again the purpose is to help us experience emotionally what is going on.
You must know what you are reading in the Bible or you are going to be very frustrated. You can't read the historical narratives like you are going to read Paul's letters. One is a series of stories that are designed to give you examples and a context. The other is propositional truth or arguments. How do you determine what kind of literature a book of Bible is? If you have a study Bible look at the introductory notes especially under headings that say: Purpose, Occasion, Genre. These insights will help you greatly.
Second, we study the book of Ecclesiastes because it asks some of the biggest questions people ask today. These are questions Christians are generally afraid to ask. The word that seems to be lurking behind the pages of this book is the word, "Why?"
I want you to be encouraged by this. It is OK to ask questions. Questions make us think deeper; they cause us to take a fresh look at life. Questions help us grow. If we wrestle with these questions honestly we will grow in understanding, confidence, and peace. Asking these questions and thinking deeply about them will equip us to respond to the questions that come from our unsaved neighbors and family members, even if we have to respond, "I've thought a great deal about that question and still don't have a clear answer."
Third, there are two ways of living: "Life under the sun", and "life with the Son"; Following the way of Culture or the way of Faith.
I like the old story of a Native American who was walking along the streets of New York with a friend of his from the city. Right in the center of Manhattan he said, “Wait, I hear a cricket.”
His friend said, “this is downtown New York, there is no way you could hear a cricket.”
The Indian stopped and walk around a little listening for the cricket. Finally, he went to a planter where a tree was growing and lifted up the Cricket to show his friend.
His friend marveled and said, “How in the world could you hear that?”
The Native American said, “it’s because my ears are different than yours. It all depends on what you are listening to. Here, let me show you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change and said, “Now watch” He held the coins high and then dropped them on the sidewalk. Every head within a block turned and looked in the direction of the Indian.
What Solomon is going to do in Ecclesiastes is show us what our ears are tuned to and then try to help us hear and live with a different focus. The question is: To what are you ears and heart tuned? Are they tuned to the values of the world? Are you working hard to achieve great things “under the sun?” Are you pursuing a relationship that is advertised “under the sun?” Or are you living life looking to the Son of God? Have you come to realize the emptiness of this journey apart from the Lord? Are you frustrated and even close to suicidal because of the futility of life? If so, you need to change your focus. You need to stop pursuing the goals of our culture and start pursuing the One who gives life both here and in eternity.
All around us are people in a hurry to get to get to despair and futility. They have not yet realized that life is just a breath. If you do not orient your life to a life beyond this one, you will end up frustrated and spend your life running from thing to thing in the hope you will finally find something that makes life meaningful and make sense.
What you are looking for is found only in Jesus Christ. We must learn to listen for His whispers even in the midst of the incessant noise of the world.
[1] David Gibson, Living Life Backwards.
[2] Gibson, David. Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us to Live in Light of the End . Crossway. Kindle Edition.
[3] Charles Swindol “LIVING ON THE RAGGED EDGE” p. 15-16