15/10/21 Ecclesiastes Study 4 - 1:1-11

 1 1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

² Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
    vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
³ What does man gain by all the toil
    at which he toils under the sun?
⁴ A generation goes, and a generation comes,
    but the earth remains forever.
⁵ The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
    and hastens to the place where it rises.
⁶ 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.
⁷ All streams run to the sea,
    but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
    there they flow again.
⁸ All things are full of weariness;
    a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
    nor the ear filled with hearing.
⁹ What has been is what will be,
    and what has been done is what will be done,
    and there is nothing new under the sun.
¹⁰ Is there a thing of which it is said,
    “See, this is new”?
It has been already
    in the ages before us.
¹¹ There is no remembrance of former things,
    nor will there be any remembrance
of later things yet to be
    among those who come after.

1. What examples of life are cited to support Qoheleth's statement that "All is vanity"?

• The impact of humanity on the structure of the world is insignificant (v.4)
• Nature (the daily round of the sun, the movement of the winds and the water cycle) is repetitious ("around and around") (v. 5-8)
• History repeats itself (v. 9-10), and events past are not remembered (v. 11). So our impact is also temporary and unremembered. We (generations) also come and go.
  

So the natural world and history is meaningless. We are like the sun and the wind and the streams, but the earth remains. Life "under the sun" is life in this fallen world characterized by futility (cf. Rom 8:20 "For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope")

 James 4:1. Our life lis like a mist

 

 

2. What do you think is this feeling of extreme "weariness'" (v.8) Qoheleth talks about? Have you personally felt this in some area of life? Or known people who have?

The Hebrew (yagea) speaks of physical and spiritual tiredness or exhaustion, after a period of exertion or stress (c.f. Dt 25:18, 2 Sa 17:2) . We might equate this to modern 'burnout' . This loss of energy and motivation is because all our efforts are never completely satisfying - we do not see the full result of the labour we put in.

3. a) In verse 3, Qoheleth asks "what gain is toil"? This question is repeated in various ways throughout Ecclesiastes (3:9, 5:15, 6:11, 10:11). Why does he question the significance of people's work? Should his pronouncements cause us to despair?

Here, work is pointless because it doesn't change things: not the world around us or history. No one will remember our work. We know that Qoheleth says in the end that God will judge both public and secret deeds (12:14), so he is telling us that God remembers our toil. Ultimately, we are accountable to Him and our work finds significance in Him. In our generation we are to live for and serve Him.

The Fall has affected the pleasure of working (Gen 3:17-19)
"cursed is the ground because of you;
    in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
¹⁸ thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
    and you shall eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your face
    you shall eat bread,"

We should also examine the significance of the work each one of us does. This helps us to find meaning in our life

b) What does this passage teach us about the motives for our effort?

It is  pointless to expect to be remembered by people. Fame is fleeting. It is also pointless to think we can change the world, since ultimately our lives will make no difference. 

As Christians we work for the food that endures to eternal life (Jn 6:27). Our labour in the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor 15:58). God is not unjust to overlook our work (Heb 6:10). So work heartily as too the Lord, not to men (Col 3>23)

Lin Ping shared that in Titus 2:13 we are "waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ". That also expresses the idea that in our work we are looking forward to eternity,, not just to this life under the sun.

 

c) What legacy would you like to leave behind when you die?  

I would like to leave behind a legacy of committed younger Christian leaders. Generally, we said that we wanted our legacy to be people, not things.

4. a) Verse 11 says that few people make a significant impact on the course of world history, while most live and die in obscurity. How does verse 11 drive home the point introduced in verse 4 and which is reinforced throughout the passage?

Humans go round and round living and dying, but the earth remains unchanged. Our efforts are repetitious. No one remembers the past. Future people will not remember us when we are dead and gone.

b) What does Qoheleth say about death in these verses?

Death is part of life, just like there are natural cycles.

Death takes away memories of who we are and what we have done.

5. As a Christian, how would you argue with Qoheleth about what he says here?

 I think Qoheleth would be very happy to lose the argument. He would say, "Yes - you know so much more than me about God's ways and plans!"

Lin Ping wants Qoheleth to think about eternity to come

Joe says the earth doesn't remain for ever. The cycles of nature point to the faithfulness of God, they sustain life and are not meaningless.

Bon says that when we join with the purposes and plans of God it will not be meaningless.