Old Testament Characters (Part 5)
Is Life Worth Living? Some lessons From Ecclesiastes

"Vanity of vanities," lamented Solomon, "all is vanity!" Solomon liked
that word "vanity"; he used it thirty-eight times in Ecclesiastes as he
wrote about life "under the sun." The word means "emptiness, futility,
vapor, that which vanishes quickly and leaves nothing behind."

From the human point of view ("under the sun"), life does appear futile;
and it is easy for us to get pessimistic. The Jewish writer Sholom
Aleichem once described life as "a blister on top of a tumor, and a boil
on top of that." You can almost feel that definition!

The American poet Carl Sandburg compared life to "an onion—you peel it
off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep." And British playwright
George Bernard Shaw said that life was "a series of inspired follies."

When you were studying English literature in school, you may have read
Matthew Arnold’s poem "Rugby Chapel" in which he includes this dark
description of life:
Most men eddy about , Here and there—eat and drink,
Chatter and love and hate, gather and squander, are raised aloft, are
hurl’d in the dust, Striving blindly, achieving nothing; and then they
die"

What a relief to turn from these pessimistic views and hear Jesus Christ
say, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it
more abundantly" (John 10:10).

Or to read Paul’s majestic declaration, "Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).

Can you think of a more practical subject? And can you think of a better
person to discuss it? For Solomon was the wisest of the kings, a man
whose wisdom and wealth enabled him to experience a full life.

In this lesson we’ll only touch the main points of this interesting book
just made for a society which lives in the 1990’s.

Life is "not in vain" if it is lived according to the will of God, and
that is what Solomon teaches in this neglected and often misunderstood
book.

I. THE PROBLEM DECLARED (1-2)
"Is life really worth living?" This is the question that Solomon is
debating. In 1:1-3 he states his first conclusion: life is not worth
living because life is full of vanity (emptiness).

Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:
"The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: {2}
"Meaningless! Mean-ingless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless." {3} What does man gain from all his labor at
which he toils under the sun?"

Then he states his reasons:
A. Man is only a cog in a big wheel (1:4-11)
Ecclesiastes 1:4-11: "Generations come and generations go, but the earth
remains for-ever. {5} The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to
where it rises. {6} The wind blows to the south and turns to the north;
round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. {7} All streams
flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams
come from, there they return again. {8} All things are wearisome, more
than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its
fill of hearing. {9} What has been will be again, what has been done will
be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. {10} Is there anything
of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already,
long ago; it was here before our time. {11} There is no remembrance of
men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by
those who follow."

What is man compared to the vastness of the world? Everything in nature
continues, cen-tury after century, but man is here for a brief space of
time, then he dies. It all seems so meaningless. It is vanity. (Solomon
uses this word "vanity" thirty-seven times in this book.) Since life is
so short and man so insignificant, why bother to live at all?


B. Man cannot understand it all (1:12-18)
Ecclesiastes 1:12-18: "I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in
Jerusalem. {13} I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all
that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! {14}
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are
meaningless, a chasing after the wind. {15} What is twisted cannot be
straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. {16} 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." {17} 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. {18} For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more
knowledge, the more grief."

Solomon was the wisest of men, yet when he tried to understand the
meaning of life, he was baffled. How many wise philosophers have tried to
explain life, only to admit their utter ignorance. Is it reasonable to
live when you cannot understand what life is all about?

C. Man’s pleasures do not satisfy (2:1-11)
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11: "I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you
with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be
meaningless.
{2} "Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure
accomplish?" {3} I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing
folly--my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was
worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
{4} I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted
vine-yards. {5} I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit
trees in them. {6} I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing
trees. {7} I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were
born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in
Jerusalem before me. {8} I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the
treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a
harem as well--the delights of the heart of man. {9} I became greater by
far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed
with me. {10} I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart
no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the
reward for all my labor. {11} Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had
done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a
chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."

Solomon had plenty of money, pleasure, culture, and fame; yet he admitted
that these things did not satisfy. Nor did they last.

D. Death ends all (2:14-23)
Ecclesiastes 2:14-23: "The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool
walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes
them both. {15} Then I thought in my heart, "The fate of the fool will
overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?" I said in my heart,
"This too is meaningless." {16} For the wise man, like the fool, will not
be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the
fool, the wise man too must die! {17} So I hated life, because the work
that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless,
a chasing after the wind. {18} I hated all the things I had toiled for
under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.
{19} And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will
have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and
skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. {20} So my heart began to
despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. {21} For a man may do
his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he
owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a
great misfortune. {22} What does a man get for all the toil and anx-ious
striving with which he labors under the sun? {23} All his days his work
is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is
meaningless."

"One event" (death) happens both to the fool and to the wise, to the rich
and to the poor. A person labors all his life, then dies and leaves the
wealth for another person to enjoy. Is this fair?

These four arguments seem to lead to one grand conclusion: it is not
worthwhile for a human being to live. But Solomon does not draw that
conclusion.

II. THE PROBLEM DISCUSSED (3-10)
A. God has a purpose in our lives (chap. 3)
God balances life: birth-death, sorrow-joy, meeting-parting. Why does He
do this? For two reasons:
(1) so that we will not think we can easily explain God’s works (v. 11)
(2) (2) so that we will learn to accept and enjoy what we have (vv.
12-13).

God has set "eternity" in our hearts...this means that the things of the
world can never really satisfy us. Therefore, we must find God’s will for
our lives and let Him "mix the ingredients" according to His purpose.

B. God gives riches according to His will (chaps. 4-6)
These chapters discuss the meaning of riches. Why is one person rich and
another poor? Why is there injustice and inequality in the world? Because
God has a plan for us, that we should not trust in uncertain riches but
in the Lord. Do not live for riches, but use them according to God’s
will.

C. God’s wisdom can guide us through life (chaps. 7-10)
The word wisdom (or wise) is used over thirty times in chapters 7-12. It
is true that man’s wisdom cannot fathom God’s plan, but God can give us
wisdom to know and do His will. Simply because we cannot understand
everything does not mean we should give up in de-spair. Trust God and do
what He tells you to do.

SOME CONCLUSIONS
Solomon has already decided that man is not a "cog in the wheel," that
there is nothing wrong with enjoying riches and pleasures to God’s glory,
and that our inability to under-stand all that God is doing is no
hindrance to a happy life. In 11-12, Solomon sums up the whole matter
with three practical admonitions:

A. Live by faith (11:1-6)
Circumstances are never going to be ideal in this life, but we must go
ahead and obey God and trust Him for the results. If you wait for the
right wind or the right day, you may miss your opportunity. You may seem
to be a fool, like someone who casts bread on moving water, but God will
see to it that it will come back to you.

B. Remember that life will end (11:7-12:7)
Is this a morbid suggestion? No. It is a Christian realism. One day you
will die, so make the most of the life you now have. This is not the
worldly attitude, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."

Note the three key words here directed especially to young people:
· Rejoice in God’s blessings while you are young
· Remove from your lives the sins that cause sorrow
· Remember to serve God and fear Him in the days of your youth.
C. Fear God and obey Him (12:8-14)
Live as those who will one day face judgment. From the human point of
view "under the sun," it seems as if life is futile and empty; all is
vanity. But when life is lived in the power of God for the glory of God,
then life becomes meaningful.

A person may live and labor for fifty years, and then die. Does this mean
his life was wasted? Of course not. His labor is not in vain in the Lord.
He will receive the rewards of his labors when Christ returns.

THE APPLICATION
Now Solomon was ready for his conclusion and personal application. What
he did was present four pictures of life and attach to each picture a
practical admonition for his lis-teners (and readers) to heed. The
development looks like this:
Life is an ADVENTURE—live by faith (11:1-6)
Life is a GIFT—enjoy it (11:7-12:8)
Life is a SCHOOL—learn your lessons (12:9-12)
Life is a STEWARDSHIP—fear God (12:13-14)

These four pictures parallel the four arguments that Solomon had wrestled
with throughout the book:
· Life is not monotonous; rather, it is an adventure of faith that is
anything but predictable or tedious.
· Yes, death is certain, but life is a gift from God and He wants us to
enjoy it.
· Are there questions we can’t answer and problems we can’t solve? Don’t
despair. God teaches us His truth as we advance in "the school of life,"
and He will give us wisdom enough to make sensible decisions.
· Finally, as far as wealth is concerned, all of life is a stewardship
from God; and one day He will call us to give an account. Therefore,
"fear God, and keep His commandments" (12:13).

Its message is for today. After all, the society which Solomon
investigated a millennium before the birth of Christ was not too
different from our world today:
· Solomon saw injustice to the poor (4:1-3)
· crooked politics (5:8)
· incompetent leaders (10:6-7)
· guilty people allowed to commit more crime (8:11)
· materialism (5:10)
· a desire for "the good old days" (7:10)

It sounds up-to-date, doesn’t it? If you have never responded by faith in
Jesus Christ and allowed that faith to lead you to confession,
repentance, and baptism, then this book urges you to do so without delay.

Why? Because no matter how much wealth, education, or social prestige you
may have, life without God is futile. You are only "chasing after the
wind" if you expect to find satisfaction and personal fulfillment in the
things of the world.

Let’s accept Solomon’s conclusions and avoid the heartache and pain that
must be endured when you experiment in the laboratory of life. These
experiments are costly and one of them could prove fatal.

The wealth and pleasures of the world do not satisfy, and the quest for
power and position is futile. In Jesus Christ we have all that we need
for life and death, time and eternity.

If there is one truth that Solomon emphasizes in this book, it is the
certainty of death. No matter what Solomon enjoyed or accomplished, the
frightening shadow of death was always hovering over him.

But Jesus Christ has defeated death and is "the resurrection and the
life" (John 11:25). The victory of His resurrection means that our "labor
is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).

More than one professed Christian has followed Solomon’s bad example and
started living for the things of this world.

Ecclesiastes also contains a message for the faithful believer who wants
to serve the Lord and have a fulfilled life in Jesus Christ. Solomon
says, "Don’t bury your head in the sand and pretend that problems don’t
exist. They do! Face life honestly, but look at life from God’s
perspective.

King Solomon has already explored the road exhaustively and given us a
dependable map to follow. And if we follow God’s Word, we will be
satisfied. Are you ready for the journey? What will life be for you:
vanity or victory?

Last modified: April 18, 2006