Click here to return to Blog Post Intro
Solomon starts Ecclesiastes by describing his efforts at intellectualism. He works through hedonism. Finally, he examines materialism. Doesn’t this process sound like what so many college students go through today?
Solomon ends every section with answers for the questions he raises. As a matter of fact, Solomon gives the same basic answer seven times.
Believe it or not, seven times the answer is to have fun and enjoy the life that God has given.
In 1952, Cyril Joad published The Recovery of Belief, which summarized the plight of modern man. People are seeking to understand the world in a way that can give them meaning and wholeness.
Solomon’s Overarching Lesson:
Life in Itself Is Empty
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:1-2).
As James says, “You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).
Materially speaking, life is short and then you die.
The Natural World as a Machine
The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.
The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.
– Ecclesiastes 1:5-7
In these verses, Solomon describes the natural world as a machine that keeps going perpetually. The sun rises, the winds blow, the rivers flow, and the water evaporates from the sea and rains down from the sky to fill the rivers. Nature is not heading toward a climactic point but is performing an endless cycle of the same thing every day.
It’s been said that man is the only animal that will accelerate when lost. When a person realizes that he can’t understand life, instead of saying, “Life is wearisome; I cannot find meaning in this life in and of myself,” he just speeds up. He is not satisfied, so he just keeps looking.
In our generation, science has become our god. The pervasive belief is that if we keep discovering new ideas, ultimately we’ll find meaning from the universe. But this hasn’t worked either.
Man’s last “hope” will be anti-Christ, who will finally cause man to face his need for repentance in Jesus.
Ecclesiastes 1:10 says, “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.”
Solomon emphasizes that everything you try to find meaning in has already been done.
Solomon’s next verse prophesies man’s continual unsuccessful quest for meaning. Man will never learn. And he will never find meaning on his own. He will always repeat his humanistic folly.
No one remembers the former generations,
and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them.
– Ecclesiastes 1:11
Solomon offers himself as a living example of this quest through three stages—intellectualism, hedonism, and materialism—of pursuing meaning in life and shares his results. His first stop? Intellectualism: the idea that by learning we will ultimately find the answers to give us meaning and peace.
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!
– Ecclesiastes 1:12-13
Like the ancient philosophers, Solomon seeks virtue. Whatever it is, Solomon has already been there. And his conclusion still stands: Life “under the sun” is emptiness and vanity.
There must be something more…