“MEANINGLESS!” SAYS THE TEACHER

Passage: Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

Key verse: 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)

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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.

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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
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

The title of this book, “Eccleasiastes”, comes from the Greek translation of the word used by the speaker to describe himself. It is related to the word for “assembly” and means someone who assembles. Most English translations use the word “Teacher” or “Preacher” to describe the speaker in this book. The Teacher in Eccleasiastes, although never named, is generally believed to be King Solomon. This is based on the identification that he is the son of David, king of Jerusalem. Moreover, the Teacher is very wise and seems to be exceedingly prosperous, both of which were characteristics of King Solomon during his reign.

Ecclesiastes is often considered to be one of the most difficult books of the Old Testament to understand. In isolation, entire sections of Ecclesiastes can appear to contradict other parts of the Bible or even other parts of Ecclesiastes! The reason for these seeming contradictions is the oft-repeated Hebrew word hebel which can mean meaningless (NIV), transient, vain, absurd, ironic, contradiction, futile, senseless, or temporary. Although the author experiences, acquires, accumulates, and achieves almost everything “under the sun”, he generally concludes by saying “meaningless.” The author’s point is that life has lasting meaning only when God is at the center of it. Instead of pursuing the world, we must fear God and keep his commandments (12:13).

As we study Ecclesiastes, may God sober our hearts and turn our hearts toward him for meaning and satisfaction.  

The Teacher begins with, “Meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” For a king, who has power, honor, and wealth, to say that everything is meaningless is very surprising. Meaningless carries the meaning of vanity, absurd, futile, and temporary.

Next, an example of labor is given. Though generation after generation labors, that labor seems to be for nothing. The earth continues as it always has irrespective of our labor. The sun rises and sets, the winds blow, and the streams continue to flow into the sea though the sea never fills up. We search for novelty but there is nothing new under the sun.

While this all sounds depressing, there is genuine wisdom in what the Teacher says about life in this world. We are often preoccupied with finding meaning and fulfillment in our work, accomplishments, and pursuing new experiences. We may look for meaning in our children, in other people, building a legacy or something else in the world. But we must know and accept that these are all temporary and inadequate. Will you let your sense of meaninglessness drive you to seek God who can give true meaning to life?

Prayer: Father, please forgive me for looking at the world as if it can give us meaning. Help me to be wise about life and to find true meaning in you.

One Word: Accept the Teacher’s wisdom