Eld Ko Swee Chay

Vanity of Human Pursuits – Ecclesiastes 1:9-15

Introduction

Man works extremely hard in the pursuit of academic qualifications, career advancements, assets and wealth, entertainment and enjoyment. They work long hours; some even work seven days a week and take on a second or third job. These are done at the expense of their personal and family life, spiritual walk with God, and bringing up children in the grace and knowledge of God. Life’s experiences are not always happy. People feel the emptiness and dissatisfaction, especially towards the later part of their lives. The world tells us to grab all we can and make personal satisfaction and happiness our goals, but people wonder: 1) What is the meaning of life? Why is life full of ceaseless, monotonous and tasteless work? 2) Why am I so dissatisfied? Am I in God’s will? 3) Will God be pleased with my life and accomplishments? Solomon, who lived some three thousand years before us, searched his life thoroughly. His experiences and observations can help us to examine and re-set our purpose and direction in life before it becomes too late.            

Vanity of Human Accomplishments (Eccl 1:9-11)

⁹ The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. ¹⁰ Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. ¹¹ There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

Solomon stated that there is no new thing under the sun. This is to be understood as natural and moral things. By this statement, he did not intend to deny human creativity and innovation in inventing and producing new products and gadgets; rather, he was denying the complete newness of things concerning man’s pursuits. The environment, political and economic situations may change from age to age. The universe created by God is the same. Man’s depravity and sinful nature stays the same. There may be new products and gadgets, new scientific and medical discoveries, but there really is nothing new under the sun about man’s things.

This teaches us that before the almighty, eternal, and unchangeable God, our accomplishments are insignificant and nothing to boast about. The Psalmist says: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Ps 8:3-4). Furthermore, all that we are, all that we can do, and all that we have come from God; and without God, we can do nothing. Therefore, we ought to come humbly before God to acknowledge, worship and serve Him. We ought to focus our efforts on things above which have eternal value.

Solomon further stated that there is no remembrance of past things and things to come. World events, kings, presidents, prime ministers, scientists, CEOs and men with great achievements and contributions, which in their day were significant and mighty, are long forgotten.  There is no remembrance of them, they are buried in oblivion. There will be no remembrance of present or future things in generations to come. One hundred years from now everything that happened in our time will be forgotten. What does it profit a man to be successful and famous now and then forgotten altogether?  Without God, human accomplishments are vanity. This is the sad reality man needs to recognise. No matter how great the works and how significant the accomplishments are, all things done on earth will soon be forgotten. Man quickly forgets the things past but our God is Omniscient, He knows and remembers all things done by man on earth, past, present, and future. Only the things done for Christ will count for eternity. Let us take heed that we will have to give an account to Him in the day of judgment, “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Eccl 12:14).      

Vanity of Human Endeavours (Eccl 1:12-15)

¹² I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³ And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. ¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. ¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

Solomon, writing on his own life experience, was a preacher – one who learned painful lessons the hard way. As a child of God and king of Israel, he was a failure. His conclusion was that human endeavours and labours are filled with “sore travail”, which means in life we will have “a bad, miserable or unpleasant task”. Solomon lived his life without God. Solomon had “seen all the works under the sun”.  His works covered a very wide range of subjects: he wrote 3,000 proverbs and composed 1,005 songs. He studied natural sciences covering trees, living things, beasts, fowls, creeping things, and fishes (1 Ki 4:32-33). He built the house of the LORD and his own palace (1 Ki 6 & 7) and cities (1 Ki 9:17-19). He had a navy of ships and imported gold, silver, apes, and peacocks. (1 Ki 10:22). He built up military power with chariots and horses purchased from Egypt (1 Ki 4:26; 10:26, 28 & 29, cf. Eccl 2:3-10).  

Having successfully done all these great works in the eyes of men, Solomon said “behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” (cf. Eccl 2:11). This phrase literally means “striving or chasing after wind”. In other words, “all these endeavours of mine are just meaningless, futile and emptiness with no results gained”. If we are working hard for self-satisfaction and for wrong motives without God in the picture, we will be just as bankrupt in our life and soul like Solomon. If we are seeking after God and living in God’s will, we will find meaning, satisfaction, and joy in the things we do in life.

Solomon further concluded that all the works done under the sun “That are crooked”, i.e. twisted or perverse, “cannot be made straight”, i.e. can never be corrected or amended: “that which is wanting (or lacking) cannot be numbered”, i.e. deficiencies are so numerous and cannot be counted. This is true also of the believer if he does not live righteously according to Scriptures.

Solomon pointed out that a life not lived in Christ will be empty and meaningless regardless of the efforts one puts in. The only sound basis for a meaningful life is to live according to God’s Word and in God’s will as revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures. Let us use our gifts, talents and abilities faithfully and humbly for the glory of God and for the benefits of the body of Christ. AMEN.