Ecclesiastes Part 02

The book of Ecclesiastes opens with the prologue and introduction: 

“The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?” 

Here in verse two, we are presented with our first message from the book: “all is vanity.” We will find this phrase throughout the book, along with the phrase “chasing of the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14, 2:11, 17, 2:26, 4:4, 16, 6:9). 

“Vanity of vanities” in verse 2, seems to denote “utter emptiness.”  The Hebrew word for “vanity” is hebel, which literally means “breath” or “vapor.” The idea is that there is nothing there to hold—which is why we see the word seven times paired with the phrase “grasping for the wind.” Some take hebel to imply “meaninglessness,” “pointlessness” or “senselessness”—the world seemingly being without rhyme or reason. Others opt for the sense of “worthlessness,” especially with the declaration of hebel being followed by the asking in verse 3 of “what profit” there is in this life. Still others take hebel here to mean “fleeting” or “quickly passing.”  

Verse 3 asks the question that Solomon intends to address in this book, 

“What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?” 

In his Preaching the Word commentary volume about Ecclesiastes, Why Everything Matters (2010), Philip Ryken notes: “The same question will come up again in chapter 3: ‘What gain has the worker from his toil?’ (verse 9) The idea of gaining some profit will come up repeatedly as well; it appears nearly a dozen times in the book of Ecclesiastes (e.g., Ecclesiastes 5:9). The word ‘gain’ [or profit] (Hebrew; yitron) is a commercial term ordinarily used in the context of business...The goal is to turn a profit as the reward for one’s labor. Gain is the return on investment for hard work. So, the Preacher asks the question that people have about every job: Is it worth it? Am I really accomplishing anything? What will I have to show for all my toil?” (p. 24). Solomon is essentially asking, what is good about this life? What is the point? 

Following the three-verse introduction or prologue, Solomon in the first subsection presents in poetic form a bleak perspective of life in this world (verses 4–11). His observations about the natural order impress on the reader the sensation of futility. First, a person’s time upon the earth is fleeting and seems to make no impact. People come and go, but the earth and its processes continue on and on—seemingly indifferent to man’s presence. Second, these processes themselves can seem monotonous and meaningless, accomplishing nothing, such as the river constantly flowing to the sea but never filling it. If this is characteristic of nature, where does that leave fleeting human life? Man deems himself important on the earth, and God even decreed man’s dominion over it (Genesis 1:28; Psalm 8). So, what is going on? “Man cannot express it” in Ecclesiastes 1:8 means that people have nothing meaningful to say in response—they cannot explain it. The rest of the verse seems to say that despite all they see and hear, it is never enough to satisfy their desire to comprehend it. The benefit sought in verse 3 is not to be found in this incessant restlessness. 

Solomon is highlighting man’s plight to show the need for a solution—and he will present that the answer lies in a proper relationship with God. This means living according to the whole Bible. The Preaching the Word commentary states: “To see things ‘under the sun’...is to look at them from ground level. It is to take an earthly point of view, leaving God out of it for the moment. But of course, this is not the only way to look at things, or even the right way to look at them. There is a God in Heaven who rules over the sun. Therefore, we are not limited to the terrestrial perspective. This does not mean that if we believe in God, all our troubles will be over or that we will never again feel the weariness and vanity of life under the sun. For one thing, believers often forget to remember God, and when we do, we are right back ‘under the sun’ again. Yet Ecclesiastes does open up the possibility of an ‘above the sun’ perspective that can bring joy and refreshment to life as we learn everything matters” (Ecclesiastes, p. 31). 

Indeed, the full biblical revelation shows that there is a way out of the monotony to experience something meaningful with lasting value. The New American Commentary further points out on Ecclesiastes 1:11: “This passage is not a contradiction to the gospel but a call for it. The world is in bondage; and humanity is unable to explain, find satisfaction in, or alter it. Only the Word, who came into the world from above, can open the way of understanding and escape (John 8:23, John 8:31–32). He has done a new thing: he has created a new covenant, given the new birth, new life, and a new commandment (Jeremiah 31:31–34). He gives a new name that will last forever. Everything else is old and passing away.” 

Wisdom Literature is a course taught at ABC by Dr. Urwiller. Recordings from the 2018–2019 class year are available to listen to on the ABC website.      

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships, and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.