MEANINGLESS! MEANINGLESS!

Passage: Ecclesiastes 1:1-18

Key verse: 1,2

NIV

Everything Is Meaningless

1 The words of the Teacher,[a](A) son of David, king in Jerusalem:(B)

2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
    says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
    Everything is meaningless.”(C)

3 What do people gain from all their labors
    at which they toil under the sun?(D)
4 Generations come and generations go,
    but the earth remains forever.(E)
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
    and hurries back to where it rises.(F)
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.(G)
8 All things are wearisome,
    more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,(H)
    nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;(I)
    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 No one remembers the former generations,(J)
    and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
    by those who follow them.(K)

Wisdom Is Meaningless

12 I, the Teacher,(L) was king over Israel in Jerusalem.(M) 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens.(N) What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!(O) 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(P)

15 What is crooked cannot be straightened;(Q)
    what is lacking cannot be counted.

16 I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me;(R) I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom,(S) and also of madness and folly,(T) but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;(U)
    the more knowledge, the more grief.(V)

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Footnotes
  1. Ecclesiastes 1:1 Or the leader of the assembly; also in verses 2 and 12
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

All Is Vanity

1 The words of (A)the Preacher,[a] the son of David, (B)king in Jerusalem.

2 (C)Vanity[b] of vanities, says (D)the Preacher,
    (E)vanity of vanities! (F)All is vanity.
3 (G)What (H)does man gain by all the toil
    at which he toils under the sun?
4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,
    but (I)the earth remains forever.
5 (J)The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
    and hastens[c] to the place where it rises.
6 (K)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 (L)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;
(M)the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
    nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 (N)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 (O)already
    in the ages before us.
11 There is no (P)remembrance of former things,[d]
    nor will there be any remembrance
of later things[e] yet to be
    among those who come after.

The Vanity of Wisdom

12 I (Q)the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I (R)applied my heart[f] to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy (S)business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is (T)vanity[g] and a striving after wind.[h]

15 (U)What is crooked cannot be made straight,
    and what is lacking cannot be counted.

16 I said in my heart, “I have acquired great (V)wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I (W)applied my heart to know wisdom and to know (X)madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but (Y)a striving after wind.

18 For (Z)in much wisdom is much vexation,
    and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

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Footnotes
  1. Ecclesiastes 1:1 Or Convener, or Collector; Hebrew Qoheleth (so throughout Ecclesiastes)
  2. Ecclesiastes 1:2 The Hebrew term hebel, translated vanity or vain, refers concretely to a “mist,” “vapor,” or “mere breath,” and metaphorically to something that is fleeting or elusive (with different nuances depending on the context). It appears five times in this verse and in 29 other verses in Ecclesiastes
  3. Ecclesiastes 1:5 Or and returns panting
  4. Ecclesiastes 1:11 Or former people
  5. Ecclesiastes 1:11 Or later people
  6. Ecclesiastes 1:13 The Hebrew term denotes the center of one's inner life, including mind, will, and emotions
  7. Ecclesiastes 1:14 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)
  8. Ecclesiastes 1:14 Or a feeding on wind; compare Hosea 12:1 (also in Ecclesiastes 1:17; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6, 16; 6:9)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIASTES

Ecclesiastes comes from a Hebrew word meaning 'Preacher' or 'one who addresses the assembly.' It is translated 'Teacher' in the NIV. Traditionally, King Solomon is the author. Solomon was a man whom God blessed with great wisdom, as well as with honor and wealth. The Queen of Sheba once traveled from the ends of the earth to hear his wisdom and see his wealth, and she left satisfied. He built the glorious temple. He had a thousand wives. He acquired everything for which most men strive. Now, with most of his life behind him, he realizes that without God, material things and human success have no meaning or purpose. Nothing--not even great learning and wisdom, not even human love can satisfy a man's inner thirst.

His climax and conclusion is found in 12:13: 'Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.' If we keep this conclusion in mind as we read, we can hear the unspoken message of every chapter: The worldly life, with no spiritual side, and no hope in heaven is meaningless. Only life in God is eternal. The world cannot satisfy; but God abundantly satisfies our souls when we seek and trust him.

1. Meaningless! (1-11)

When one looks at the world from a human point of view, he sees how man toils to stay alive--only to return to dust. Nothing is ever satisfied. The sea is never full, though all streams flow to it. The eye never sees enough. Nothing seems to have meaning. There is nothing new under the sun. How boring it is to live without meaning! But God created this world and he is still working in it. He began human history and he will end it. God's people live in God's history; they have meaning and purpose.

2. Chasing after the wind (12-18)

Some people think that much study will fill the emptiness of their lives. The writer studied hard, but found that the wisdom and knowledge he acquired only gave him a heavier burden. He decided that all things done under the sun were like chasing the wind--meaningless. God made us for himself; we can only find meaning in him.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to walk with you and see the world from your perspective.

One Word: Meaningless without God