Year 1, Week 47, Day 3 Bible Reading Observations

Year 1, Week 47, Day 3

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of Ecclesiastes 2-4.

Today’s reading contains additional chapters from the Book of Ecclesiastes. While we began reading Ecclesiastes in yesterday’s reading, we do not make any comments concerning its contents. Ecclesiastes 1 orients us to the Book’s basic elements such as the authorship and purpose. Solomon is understood to be the author of Ecclesiastes: “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem” (Ecclesiastes 1:1). While Solomon’s name is not explicitly stated, it seems reasonable to posit that the Book comes from Solomon, not only because of the description of the first verse, but also because of the biographical nature of the Book having much in common with the life of Solomon. Solomon’s purpose for this Book is to explore the meaning of life: “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3). Solomon’s wide range of abilities and interests, not to mention his material resources, kingly authority, and wisdom endowed by the LORD, gave him the advantage to explore how life should be lived. A possible structure for the Book might look something like the 222 verses in the Book are divided into two equal halves:  in the first 111 verses, Solomon investigates how best to live this fleeting life (Ecclesiastes 1:1-6:9)l while in the second 111 verses, Solomon teaches how best to live this fleeting life (6:10-12:14).

One of the things that struck me from today’s reading was Solomon’s estimation of life: “I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14). There is something of a negative or cynical tone in Solomon’s estimation of the meaning of life. Life has no meaning, it is just striving after the wind. Solomon has explored and observed: “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. All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing” (Ecclesiastes 1:4-8). Life is just wearisome and unsatisfying. But Solomon’s conclusion that life has no meaning, it is all just aimless chasing after the wind, has a huge qualification. Solomon uses a phrase twenty-eight times that qualifies what he is speaking of when he posits that life has no meaning. Life “under the sun” has no meaning. The often repeated phrase “under the sun” is Solomon’s important qualification that when he speaks cynically of life, he is describing life in this fallen world without thought or regard for the LORD.

Solomon pursued enjoyment in life: “I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity” (Ecclesiastes 2:1). But Solomon found no enjoyment in enjoyment. And although it was a thorough and extravagant pursuit of pleasure, his pursuit of enjoyment was meaningless: “And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11). But once again, note Solomon’s qualifier—no amount of pleasure pursuit “under the sun” was enjoyable. In fact, Solomon’s pursuits, “under the sin” only let him hate the world: “So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:17).

But amid Solomon’s negative assessment of life “under the sun” he does insert glimpses of meaning and enjoyment that can be experienced in life: “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?” (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25). Life can be lived “under the sin” or life can be lived as a gift from God. Life with an awareness of God and thus, with a bent to please God is far from meaningless, it is wonderful. Life lived for the glory of God serves as the antidote to a mere wearisome, unsatisfying, and hated life; life lived for the glory of God provides meaning, and satisfaction, and joy: “For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:26). Living with a view toward the LORD and His honor, resets how life is experienced: “I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man” (Ecclesiastes 3:12). Eating, and drinking, and working, and going good all have meaning as gifts from God, but are pointless and empty “under the sun”. Even being the king with many around him-the very pinnacle of alleged greatness-if experienced “under the sun” is meaningless: “I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that youth who was to stand in the king’s place. There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 4:15-16). 

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe