Ecclesiastes 1 (3)

Pray Psalm 104.20-23
You make darkness, and it is night,
In which all the beasts of the forest creep about.
The young lions roar after their prey,
And seek their food from God.
When the sun rises, they gather together
And lie down in their dens.
Man goes out to his work
And to his labor until the evening.

Read Ecclesiastes 1.8-11.

Reflect.
1. Why is there “nothing new under the sun”?

2. What “satisfaction” should we be seeking? Is this what Solomon was seeking?

Meditate.
Solomon insists that nothing new – nothing beyond what he had learned or experienced – was to be gained by reading, observing, studying, or trying to make a name for ourselves. All things are laborious, Solomon advised, when we look at them as ends in themselves or as the highest achievements or experiences that we may know in this life. This way lies no satisfaction in life (v. 8).

Every generation seems bent on trying out everything for itself, believing they can find meaning and purpose on their own terms. But if they won’t remember the advice and experiences of their forebears (v.11), what can they hope to attain or achieve that anyone after them might want to remember? Everything is fleeting in a world where people live only for the moment, only for themselves, and only with a view to the material horizon and personal happiness.

Solomon introduces here one of two recurring phrases which we must understand to discern his meaning in Ecclesiastes. “Under the sun” (v. 9) occurs over twenty times in this book, and it always refers to man’s attempt to make his life make sense apart from God. Wherever this phrase occurs, “vanity of vanities” or “striving after wind” is not far away.

God alone is able to make sense of our experience in this world. Only by conducting our lives before Him, with Him, in Him, and unto His glory – “under the heavens” – can people hope to find lasting satisfaction and pleasure in life. “Under the sun”, everything is weariness, frustration, disappointment, and impermanence. This, apparently, was the road Rehoboam had chosen to follow – taking his father’s later years as his example. But now Solomon was hoping to call him back to his senses.

For Rehoboam, however, it was already too late.

Reflect.
1. Can you see our own age reflected in Solomon’s words here? Explain.

2. Why can worldly experiences and success not provide the ultimate satisfaction people seek?

3. What value is there in understanding the experiences of earlier times? Why should Christians especially pay attention to the history of the Christian movement? What can we learn from our forebears in the faith?

To speak now of the troubles of this life, the person has taken his soul in vain who is constructing the things of the world and building the things of the body. We arise each day to eat and drink; yet no one is filled so that he does not hunger and thirst after a short time. Daily we seek profit, and to greed there is set no limit. Ambrose (333-397), Death as a Good 7.28

Lord, our only ultimate satisfaction is in You – in knowing, loving, and serving You in all we do. Satisfy me with Your Presence and help today, Lord, as I…

Pray Psalm 104.10-23.
God is at work all around you, within you, and through you. Commit your day to Him, and set your mind to see Him at work and praise Him throughout the day.

Sing Psalm 104.16-30.
Psalm 104.16-30 (Creation: Exalt the Lord, His Praise Proclaim)
The trees You water with Your grace, the mighty cedars in their place;
in them the birds their dwellings build, and goats inhabit every hill.
You made the moon the times to mark; the sun declines; You made the dark.
By night the beasts pursue their prey, and man to labor goes by day.

How many are Your works, O Lord, which You have created by Your Word!
The earth and sea with creatures teem – they look to You to care and feed.
You give to them, they gather all; You hide Your face, they fail and fall.
You take their breath, they gasp and die; You send Your Spirit, they revive.

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).