Eccl 1:1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
The reader needs to make a complete study of 1 Kings Chapter 1-12 and 2 Chronicles Chapter 1-12 in order to properly understand Ecclesiastes.
(1 Ki 2:1-3 KJV) Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
It is important to understand who wrote Ecclesiastes so we can better understand the book. The above verse says Solomon was the son of David. The preacher is Solomon.
2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man;
3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
David is warning his son how important it is to keep God's commandments. Modern Christians believe success is found in an education, money or a title. This is why the Bible warns so much about idolatry. The Bible warns about the sin of idolatry more than any other sin.
1 Kings 3
9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
Sometimes we wonder why our prayers are not answered, it is because we do not pray according to the will of God.
(James 4:3 KJV) Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Many times we as Christians pray for things that we want and not what God would have for us. Solomon had enemies and a sin nature just like the rest of us and yet he still humbled himself before God. Thus, God blessed Solomon richly. When we want money to make us feel secure then we are committing the sin of idolatry. We are to trust in God to make us secure. I believe that Christian Americans are probably the most insecure, selfish, idolatrous people in the world. We have lived in wealth for so long that we have become like the world in our thinking; we feel that God and others owe us something. Read this verse:
(Mat 6:31 KJV) Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
The only material gain that Jesus promised us was food and clothing.
Christians who trust in material things will never be satisfied no matter how much they have. In fact, God purposely makes it that way so that we will be restless until we come to the point of resting in Him and not in things... this is the mark of a mature Christian.
(Eccl 5:10 KJV) He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
Solomon's theme: There is no meaning to this crummy existence called life on planet earth. If you live only beneath the perspective of the sun it is an endless cycle of weariness and depression.
Eccl 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
Have you ever thought that if you could have anything you ever wanted you would always be happy?
There was such a man in the Bible, he went on a self-seeking journey looking for happiness and satisfaction and it left him defeated, depressed, and disillusioned.
He went looking for and pursuing worldly wisdom (humanism) for satisfaction.
He went looking for satisfaction in architecture, horticulture, agriculture, landscaping, treasures of gold and silver, and peculiar treasures of the kings.
He went looking for the most beautiful music, and the best musicians.
He went looking for the most beautiful women and probably had more sexual relations than anyone.
He investigated the whole world of pleasure. He owned more, did more, saw more, and experienced more than anyone in Jerusalem and the world (Eccl 2:10-11). Yet it was all vanity and vexation of spirit. In other words, he lived an empty and meaningless life.
Solomon discovered and expressed in his journal that life is an ongoing struggle for people who are searching for happiness and satisfaction. People are constantly struggling to satisfy themselves. This is the evil that Solomon saw under the sun.
Solomon is making the following warning to people: when you are trusting in and or pursuing marriage, business, education, materialism, laughter, good times and/or the future for happiness and satisfaction, then you are pursuing selfishly. You have your own selfish purposes in mind. I have dissappointing news for you; you are going to wind up bored and frustrated.
After Solomon's journey was over in the pursuit of happiness he found that nothing satisfied.
The Book of Ecclesiates is Solomon's repentance. Solomon became unthankful and rebelled against God. Anytime we become unthankful we will automatically rebel against God.
Eccl 1:3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
This is the question that Solomon asked of himself and others who are working "under the sun."
The phrase "under the sun" means temporal, working for earthly gain, selfishness. When Solomon finally sobered up and repented of his rebellion, he realized that all the material gain that he worked for was vanity and vexation of spirit. This is a reflection of us as Christian Americans. This should make us question the motives of many pastors with wealthy churches. This does not necessarily mean that they are all in the wrong, but we better be aware that there are many pastors who are not called by God but are called by the dollar bill.
Eccl 1:4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
This is what Solomon saw in the eyes of an unrepentant sinner. Solomon's life became dull, boring, and mundane. Remember that no matter how talented you are, how rich you are, or how good of an athelete you are (you might even be in the Hall of Fame) none of these things will bring true satisfaction. You and your generation will eventually die off and then what will it matter?
Here is a rule of thumb: If you are always playing the competition game and constantly trying to keep up with the "Joneses", then most likely you are dissatisfied with life. This often indicates a deeper problem in one's life. You may be trying to cover up fear, loneliness, boredom or just want to be in the most popular crowd.
Eccl 1:5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
Eccl 1:6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
Solomon realized that no matter how many activities that you try to fill your life with eventually you will feel like life just goes in circles or cycles like the sun, it goes up and it goes down, never changing, the same old same old, or like the wind around and around continually never changing. This is where living under the sun can get you.
7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
We are like the sea always trying to fill our lives with happiness and contentment under the sun and yet never filled.
What Solomon is expressing in these verses is that life has become boring and monotonous. Maybe you have felt like that? Have you ever woke up in the morning and say to yourself "a different day same old thing".
With all the riches that Solomon had and trusted in to make himself more happy and content only made him feel defeated, empty and vexed this is the main problem with most Christian Americans today. We have lived in a society that is rich and "prosperous". We have forgotten what it means to be thankful. And it has left us empty, wanting, defeated and vexed. We have become corrupted by the "American dream" which says that if you work hard enough you can get whatever you want and then you will have lasting satisfaction, happiness and contentment. That is the "Big LIE"!
8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
Solomon saw himself working very hard to satisfy his eyes. You will see in chapter 2 that Solmon immeresed himself in construction of some of the most beautiful landscaping. In fact he made his house bigger and spent more time on building his house then he did with God's house. He definitely tried to keep up with the Jonses. Solomon is warning us not to go his way. (as most of us have already done) When we work to earn more money just to spend it on ourselves, to own more things then we are committing idolatry because we are expecting those things to fulfill our needs so we turn them into a god just as the children of Israel did when they got bored of God in Exodus 32 when they made a calf out of gold and said we will worship this calf that brought us out of Egypt. And this is what most of us Christian Americans do today when we think that earning extra money will bring me out of unhappiness. What you are really saying is that money brought me out of unhappiness just as the Children of Israel said about the golden calf that brought them out of Egypt.
We are never satisfied under the sun. It is an irony when you see people moving to and
fro, going from store to store moving about planning ahead for adventure in vacation and
excitment, a never ending cycle of labor, it becomes discouraging to many after so much
work to have only a few moments of enjoyment, and when you come back to reality there is
more work to be done to meet ones needs.
9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
There are many proud inventors who never slowed down enough in life to realize that the
creator thought of it in the beginning. The wright brothers never invented flight, they only
built upon what God had already thought of. They only imitated not invented. There probably is some guy living today who thinks he invented the computer. I hate to take the wind out of his sails but no man ever invented the computer. God thought of it first when he created our brains and man came along and decided to build a computer. Think about the primary colors. Can you invent a new primary color? No man has been able to do it yet. All man can do is imitate what God has already thought of.
These truths should humble even the most hardheaded, stubborn, intellectual elite.
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10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
We look forward to advances in knowledge in hopes of peace and prosperity, and the inventions that come from it. We boast of new fashions and theories (Charlie Darwin) new methods new expressions.
Which removes the old and brings in the new. But this is all a mistake. What is in nature that
we say is new? Answer there is nothing new. Nature and the powers of nature are nothing
new.
Mens hearts and the corruptions of them are nothing new. Their desires, and pursuits and
complaints are still the same.
What reason do we have to think that the world should be any kinder to us than it has
been to those who have gone before us since there is nothing in it that is new.
If we are going to be entertained with things that are new then we must become familiar with the things of God for example getting a new nature. Then we can say out with the old and in with the new.
2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new. .
The gospel puts a new song into our mouths. In heaven all is new (Re 21:5), unlike the
present state of things, a new world indeed (Lu 20:35), and all new to eternity, always
fresh, always flourishing. This consideration should make us willing to die, That in this
world there is nothing but the same over and over again, and we can expect nothing from
it more or better than we have had.
2. The memorableness of the achievement, that it is such as will be known and talked of
hereafter. Many think they have found satisfaction enough in this, that their names shall be
perpetuated, that posterity will celebrate the actions they have performed, the honours
they have won, and the estates they have raised, that their houses shall continue for ever
(Ps 49:11); but herein they deceive themselves. How many former things and persons
were there, which in their day looked very great and made a mighty figure, and yet there is
no remembrance of them; they are buried in oblivion.
Taken from the Mathew Henery Commentary
12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Solomon is reminding us of his qualifications. He is saying hay look at me, I was king over Israel, there was nothing withholden from me. If any one knows what he is talking about it will be Solomon because he indulged and immersed himself in every kind of pursuit imaginable he left no stone unturned. He did it all had it all heard it all and seen it all. No one was is even remotely qualified as Solomon to teach us that doing things under the sun is meaningless.
13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
Solomon is telling us that he seached out all the worldly wisdom and ever since man ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, man has toiled to get knowledge and wisdom only to become defeated when he will not seek after Godly wisdom. We must understand that the Bible has something to say about every area of life.
It has always amazed me that in Philosophy and history classes ect. in a secular college (and I am sure this happens in private colleges to) the proffesor will ask questions relating to solving the problems of the world and if any student gives any hard fast absolute answer to that question he will be labled as a fanatic, radical or right wing extremist.
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Solomon is reminding us that he has seen all the work that he and others have done in the pursuit of quenching boredom, loneliness and unhappiness and when it is done for selfish idolotrous, desires then it is done under the sun, the happiness which results is only temporal.
15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
I believe Solomon is saying that the wisdom of man is crooked and it cannot solve the problems of the world.
16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
How is it that widom and knowledge can cause so much vexation of spirit
When someone gets what ever they want they have fun at first then they become bored and very irritated because they made a false God out of wisdom or knowledge that they pursued after, or made a a false God out of materialisim like money, a home, car, boat, recreation, hobby or a job and then when things don't work out like they thought or dreamed, then they go into a state of depression and unhappiness just like Solomon. Solomon, just like many of you have given your whole heart to material gain and don't even know it. You wonder why you feel so low about yourself and wonder why you can't get any enjoyment out of life. Why does life seem so monotonous all the time? Only when we make the Lord our shephered then we will not want. (Psa 23:1 KJV) A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
If you have not made the Lord your shepherd then it is time Read my page on Coming soon
(Mat 14:28 KJV) And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
(Mat 14:29 KJV) And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
(Mat 14:30 KJV) But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
(Mat 14:31 KJV) And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
If you are a Christian and you feel this way then maybe you have taken your eyes off the Lord and you have fixed your eyes on the world, expecting the world to do something for you that you think God cannot do for you.
