I. THE VANITY SEEN BY WATCHING NATURE. 1:4-8
Intro:
1. Judy Garland sang a song, I’m always chasing rainbows, it comes to mind as you study these verses.
I'm always chasing rainbows
Watching clouds drifting by
My schemes are just like all my dreams
Ending in the sky
Some fellows look and find the sunshine
I always look and find the rain
Some fellows make a winning sometime
I never even make a gain, believe me
I'm always chasing rainbows
Waiting to find a little bluebird in vain
2. Living life confined to under the sun is like always chasing rainbows – in vain.
3. Vanity of life is seen by Watching nature.
Trans: We have looked at the Subject of this book, now for the rest of the book we will look at the Sermons.
A. The Permanency of the earth. 4
4 A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever. – this reminds us that our lives on earth are transitory and very brief. I suppose that’s why when someone dies we say “they passed away.”
1:4 A generation comes and a generation goes, but the earth remains the same through the ages. (NET Bible)
The notes on the NET Bible are interesting:
Comes - tn The participle ?????? (holekh, “to walk, to go”) emphasizes continual, durative, uninterrupted action (present universal use of participle). The root ?????? (halakh) is repeated in this section (1: 4a, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 7c) to emphasize the continual action and constant motion of everything in nature. Despite the continual action of everything in nature, there is no completion, attainment or rest for anything. The first use of ?????? is in reference to man; all subsequent usages are in reference to nature – illustrations of the futility of human endeavor. Note: All the key terms used in 1: 4 to describe the futility of human endeavor are repeated in 1: 5-11 as illustrations from nature. The literary monotony in 1: 4-11 mirrors the actual monotony of human action that repeats itself with no real change.
Goes - tn The participle ???? (ba’, “to go”) emphasizes continual, durative, uninterrupted action (present universal use of participle). The term is repeated in 1: 4-5 to compare the futility of secular human accomplishments with the futile actions in nature: everything is in motion, but there is nothing new accomplished.
Remains - tn The participle ??????? (’ omadet, “to stand”) emphasizes a continual, durative, uninterrupted state (present universal condition). Man, despite all his secular accomplishments in all generations, makes no ultimate impact on the earth.
Ages – 19 tn The term ?????? (’ olam) has a wide range of meanings: (1) indefinite time: “long time, duration,” often “eternal” or “eternity”; (2) future time: “things to come”; and (3) past time: “a long time back,” that is, the dark age of prehistory (HALOT 798-99 s.v. ??????; BDB 761-63 s.v. III ???). It may also denote an indefinite period of “continuous existence” (BDB 762 s.v. III ??? 2. b). It is used in this sense in reference to things that remain the same for long periods: the earth (Eccl 1: 4), the heavens (Ps 148: 6), ruined cities (Isa 25: 2; 32: 14), ruined lands (Jer 18: 16), nations (Isa 47: 7), families (Ps 49: 12; Isa 14: 20), the dynasty of Saul (1 Sam 13: 13), the house of Eli (2 Sam 2: 30), continual enmity between nations (Ezek 25: 15; 35: 5), the exclusion of certain nations from the assembly (Deut 23: 4; Neh 13: 1), a perpetual reproach (Ps 78: 66).
4 One generation goes its way, the next one arrives, but nothing changes—it's business as usual for old planet earth. Ecclesiastes 1:4 (MSG)
We may look out our window and see a rainbow but deep inside we know that it’s a chase that never ends. Judy Garland said it well:
Why have I always been a failure?
What can the reason be?
I wonder if the world is to blame
I wonder if it could be me.
That is under the sun living! Keep in mind living “under the sun” is living life without being focused on God, in other words, this is what life is like when we view it from a merely human perspective.
In the overall scheme of things, nature appears to be lasting while man is leaving, not long after he arrives. Man is like a brief visitor waiting for his transitory hospital bed. Have you noticed that life is lived between two hospitals? You check into one when you’re born and before you know it, you’re checking out permanently in another one. Two things appear close together – the brevity of life and the certainty of death. Everybody is coming and going but the earth remains the same. Our emptiness is illustrated by the songs we sing.
Tennessee Ernie Ford put it in words we can all understand:
“Sixteen tons and what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Saint Peter don’t you call me,
cause I can’t go.
I owe my soul, to the company store.”
But old man death does call, as Tennessee Ernie Ford himself, discovered years ago. Moreover, while we must go, the old company store just keeps right on going as if we never existed.
As we look at this planet we do not sense it is grieving over our departure but continues its laborious and somewhat boring cycle seemingly accomplishing absolutely nothing. It all seems so twisted and distorted, why should a planet, that was made for human beings and that was created to bow before our dominion end up being so lasting and we so fragile.
When we were in Nicaragua they showed us the hotel where Howard Hughes was held up. Hughes was worth 2.5 billion at the time of his death. Think of it, all of that money and influence and yet he is gone and that very hotel where he stayed is still standing and doing fine! And what of Hughes who was at one time the richest man in the United States?
Time Magazine wrote:
Howard Hughes death was commemorated in Las Vegas by a minute of silence. Casinos fell silent. Housewives stood uncomfortable clutching their paper cups full of coins at the slot machines, the blackjack games paused, and the crap tables with the stickmen cradled the dice in the crook of their wooden wands.
Then a pit boss looked at his watch, leaned forward and whispered, “Ok, roll the dice. He’s had his minute.”
As always, the Bible puts the cookies on the bottom shelf for all to partake of, and thus, we become enlightened.
By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return." Genesis 3:19
Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. James 4:14
For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, 1 Peter 1:24
Philip Graham Ryken gives us insight:
Life is this tiny duration and then we die. Then what? I suppose the kids rummage through our stuff to see if any of it is worth hanging onto. There is not! We say our children are our future; they will be able to accomplish things that go beyond anything we could ever dream… But, as usual, Ecclesiastes takes a gloomier view. Soon the younger generation will become the older generation, and then there will be a generation after that. It is always the same… The rise of each generation gives the
impression that something actually is happening, but nothing really is.”
Jerome said, “What is more vain than this vanity: that the earth, which was made for humans, stays— but humans themselves, the lords of the earth, suddenly dissolve into the dust?”
Remember this is true only when we confine ourselves to under the sun living and leave God out of the picture.
Ryken again notes:
The reason the Preacher shows us the weariness of our existence, making us more and more disillusioned with life under the sun, is so we will not expect to find meaning and satisfaction in earthly things, but only in God Himself. Some people think that Ecclesiastes is about the meaninglessness of human existence. This perspective is not quite correct, however. Ecclesiastes is really about the meaninglessness of life without God.”
John Wesley noted, “Began expounding the Book of Ecclesiastes, never before had I so clear a sight either of its meaning or beauties. Neither did I imagine, that the several parts of it were in so exquisite a manner connected together, all tending to prove the grand truth, that there is no happiness out of God.”
B. The Perpetual motion of the sun. 1:5
Also, the sun rises, and the sun sets; And hastens to its place it rises there again – this highlights our sense of meaningless. As we watch the sunrise and set over and over again, we are reminded of our life. What does it really accomplish? Like the sun, after all of its relentless motion, the heavens remain the same! One day is just another carbon copy of another.
“Up in the morning, out on the job
Work like the devil for my pay.
While that lucky old sun got nothing to do.
But roll around heaven all day.”
Nothing ever gets settled! We can never really say this is finished; that has now been permanently put to bed.
Duane Thomas played football for the Dallas Cowboys and went to the Super Bowl in 1972 with them. After they won, he was asked by a reporter, “How does it feel to win the big one?” He said, “If it’s such a big game, why do they play another again next year?”
How many today are busy doing things that in light of eternity amount to absolutely nothing?
Rafael Antonio Lozano is a man with a mission, albeit a strange one. The 33-year-old computer programmer from Plano, Texas, is on a quest to visit every company-owned Starbucks on the planet. Rafael, who calls himself Winter, began his mission in 1997 when there were 1,304 such stores worldwide. Today, there are over 6,000 in 37 countries. As of October 31st, 2005, Winter had visited 4,918 Starbucks in North America, in addition to 213 others around the globe. Despite his impressive pace, Winter is realistic about the nature of his quest, saying, "As long as they keep building Starbucks, I'll never be finished." He is also realistic about the importance of his mission. "Every time I reach a Starbucks, I feel like I've accomplished something when actually I've accomplished nothing."
But in contrast, when we live for Christ we are promised an eternal reward! That alone makes our brief stay worth the effort. Just to get a gulp of air in our despair, listen to the breathtaking Word of God:
And without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
Revelation 22:12
But for now, we must stay under the sun to allow the Holy Spirit to drive home to our hearts the vanity of seeking to live a life apart from God and eternity.
5The sun rises and the sun sets, laboring to come up quickly to its place again and again. (VB)
C. The Perplexing wind. 1:6
6 Blowing toward the south, Then turning toward the north, The wind continues swirling along; And on its circular courses, the wind returns.
The wind is in constant motion, following "circuits" that man cannot fully understand or chart. Jesus said, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you... cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes" (Jn. 3:8). The wind is constantly moving and changing directions – it does not appear to make sense. Just as we cannot understand the why’s and wherefore’s of the wind – we cannot make sense of our lives either.
During the 2007-2008 NFL regular season, New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady set the record for most touchdown passes in a regular season, paving the way for his winning the MVP award. At the age of 30, he has already won three Super Bowls—an accomplishment that sets him apart as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. In 2005, Tom Brady was interviewed by 60 Minutes journalist Steve Kroft. Despite the fame and career accomplishments he had achieved already, Brady told Kroft that it felt like something was still lacking in his life:
“Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, 'Hey man, this is what [it's all about].' I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me?
I think, 'It's got to be more than this.' I mean this isn't—this can't be—all it's cracked up to be."
Kroft pressed Brady as to what the right answer was, and Brady added:
“What's the answer? I wish I knew… I love playing football, and I love being a quarterback for this team. But at the same time, I think there are a lot of other parts about me that I'm trying to find.”
The only answer to be found is in God! As previously said, but bears repeating, we were created by God and for God. Only He can give us life abundantly.
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10
Jesus Christ offers an abundant life – a life that answers the questions of Who am I; Where did I come from; Why am I here; and Where am I going? But this is not realized by those who live only under the sun.
This book of Ecclesiastes is rarely understood because people misunderstand the point of this book. It is not a book showing you how to live life with God and eternity in mind! It is designed to show what happens when we don’t. Those who are insecure and immature will quickly turn away from this book thinking that it is supporting such an empty life – it is not! It is simply showing us the inevitable results of leaving God and eternity out of the picture. We have to let the despair sink in before we can get the full value of this book. If we smuggle God into this book before the feeling of emptiness without God sinks in, we miss the blessed point of how much we need God in our lives.
D. The Purposeless Rivers. 1:7
7 All the rivers flow into the sea, Yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, There they flow again.
With all of its commotion and constant flowing what exactly does the flowing of the rivers really accomplish? No matter how many centuries the rivers flow they never fill up the Sea. Likewise, no matter what we do, how hard we work at it, nothing is ever finished or accomplished in our brief lives.
“I gets weary and filled with troubles,
I’m tired of liv’en and feared of dying,
But Old Man River he just keeps rollin along.”
I have a treadmill in my house and I like to watch something on TV when I walk. So I walk and walk and walk – and then I get off, right where I started! Go figure.
William McDonald describes such a life:
Frail man’s life is filled with labor and activity, but where does it get him when all is said and done? He is on a treadmill, a tiresome round of motion without progress. You ask him why he works, and he replies, “To get money, of course.” But why does he want money? To buy food. And why does he want food? To maintain his strength. Yes, but why does he want strength? He wants strength so he can work. And so there he is, right back where he began.” Four psychologists did a study of notable quotations from famous people around the world about the meaning of life. The study analyzed the quotes of 195 men and women who lived within the past few hundred years. Here's a summary of the major themes and some of the people representing each theme:
• Life is primarily to be enjoyed and experienced. Enjoy the moment and the journey. 17 percent of the famous people in the study endorsed this theme (Ralph Waldo Emerson, Cary Grant, Janis Joplin, and Sinclair Lewis). Janis Joplin is best known for her lyric: "You got to get it while you can." The problem is without Christ you cannot really enjoy life; and when life ends what do you do?
• We live to express compassion to others, to love; to serve.13 percent endorsed this theme (Albert Einstein, Mohandas Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama). Albert Einstein stated: "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile." But can we really love others without God’s love flowing through us to others? Are sinful self-centered human being really worth giving our lives for?
• Life is unknowable; a mystery.13 percent endorsed this theme (Albert Camus, Bob Dylan, and Stephen Hawking). Hawking wrote, "If we find an answer to that (why we and the universe exist), it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason—for then we would know the mind of God." While it’s true life is a mystery and there are many things we cannot know – we can know the God who knows it all!
• Life has no meaning. 11 percent endorsed this (novelist Joseph Conrad, Sigmund Freud, Franz Kafka, Bertrand Russell, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Clarence Darrow). Darrow compared life to a ship that is "tossed by every wave and by every wind; a ship headed to no port and no harbor, with no rudder, no compass, no pilot, simply floating for a time, then lost in the waves." But if we trust Christ as our Savior life can have meaning and purpose.
• We are to worship God and prepare for the afterlife.
11 percent endorsed this theme (Desmond Tutu, Billy Graham, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa). Desmond Tutu said, "[We should] give God glory by reflecting his beauty and his love. That is why we are here, and that is the purpose of our lives." And that is a reality!
• Life is a struggle. 8 percent endorsed this theme (Charles Dickens, Benjamin Disraeli, and Jonathan Swift). Swift wrote that life is a "tragedy wherein we sit as spectators for a while and then act our part in it." Life is a struggle but we can trust the one who has been victorious over lives struggles!
• We are to create our own meaning in life. 5 percent endorsed this theme (Carl Sagan, Simone DeBeauvoir, and Carl Jung). Carl Sagan wrote: "We live in a vast and awesome universe in which, daily, suns are made and worlds destroyed, where humanity clings to an obscure clod of rock. The significance of our lives and our fragile realm derives from our own wisdom and courage. We are the custodians of life's meaning." Truth is only God can create! Whether it’s physical life or meaning in life, it comes only from God’s hand.
• Life is a joke. 4 percent endorsed this theme (Albert Camus, Charlie Chaplin, Lou Reed, and Oscar Wilde). Charlie Chaplin described life as "a tragedy when seen in close-up but a comedy in the long shot." The rock star Lou Reed said, "Life is like Sanskrit read to a pony." Life is no joke especially for those who are under God’s wrath.
e. The main Point we learn from nature. 1:8
8 All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing. – life under the sun never satisfies us.
We all have sung Mick Jagger’s song in our heart – “I can’t get no satisfaction!” You might be thinking, “I know lost people who are happy and satisfied.” I can assure you that their happiness is only temporary and outwardly – many people have a false satisfaction, a sort of suck it up mentality that will last only so long.
In an early scene from the movie Antz, the main character, an ant named Z, lies on a leaf couch and tells his therapist:
“All my life I've lived and worked in the big city…I always tell myself there has got to be something better out there. Maybe I, maybe I think too much. I think everything must go back to the fact that I had a very anxious childhood. My mother never had time for me. When you're the middle child in a family of 5 million, you don't get any attention. I mean, how is it possible? I've always had these abandonment issues, which plagued me. My father was basically a drone like I've said. The guy flew away when I was just a larva. And, my job, don't get me started on it because it really annoys me. I was not cut out to be a worker. I, I feel physically inadequate. My whole life I've never been able to lift more than ten times my own bodyweight. And, and, when you get down to it, handling dirt is not my idea of a rewarding career.…I mean, what is it, I'm supposed to do everything for the colony? What about my needs? What about me? I mean I've got to believe there's someplace out there that's better than this. Otherwise, I'll just curl up into a larva position and weep. The whole system makes me feel…insignificant.” The therapist responds, "Excellent! You've made a real breakthrough!"
Z says, "I have?" The therapist says, "Yes, Z. You are insignificant!" As Z goes to his workstation, he says to himself, "OK, I've just got to keep a positive attitude. A good attitude—even though I'm utterly insignificant. I'm insignificant, but with attitude."
Many who have rejected God – have done it with an attitude! But the longer they live and the older they get, they will most certainly be faced with reality. You don’t have to observe the monotony of nature very long before you’re ready to check into Heartbreak Hotel. And as for chasing those rainbows it always seems to be in vain. On June 22, 1969, the headlines read – “Judy has found the end of the rainbow.” The article read:
“Judy Garland has been found dead in her London apartment. She was 47 years old. While suicide is not yet proven, it is known that she tried to take her life 20 times before. Why would such a talented woman despise herself? Her devoted fans do not know, they always showered her with loving applause. Judy was born Frances Gumm in Grand Rapids Michigan. Judy went from a family stage act to a film star at the age of 13 [Wizard of Oz]. She wed 5 times and had 3 children. Pills to settle her nerves and seesawing weight left her a shadow with a marvelous voice.”
If she would have received the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and become a God chaser – then at death she would have found the rainbow that she had been chasing all of her life.
Johnny A Palmer Jr.
