Ecclesiastes 1

We return back to the books of wisdom this month.  As I grow older, I start to appreciate and feel the words of King Solomon more and more.  I do not dare to say I have increased in wisdom in the ways of Solomon, but the reality of the words of Solomon has never rung truer.

Let’s start with his famous words in…

Bible Passage:  Ecclesiastes 1

“What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?” ~ Eccl 1:3

This is the first question the Preacher poses to us as we sit at his feet to learn from him.

What do you think?

As we read this chapter, we are reminded of the ongoing nature of the universe.  The sun rises and sets…  Generations come generations go … one thing is certain – we can hardly make a lasting impression on it.

All our activities are short-lived and insignificant.

Creation is something that we must learn to appreciate and be in awe of – it is not something that we can control or manipulate.  There is “no gain” that can be realized from striving and struggling in pursuit of our own interests.

In the New Testament, we read of a similar kind of question posed by Jesus…

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

~ Matt 16:26

How relevant is this question to us today?

God calls us to love Him and our neighbour.  He has provided all natural things in this world for us to use and care for.

But the world tries to make it all different.

It tries to dethrone God, worships self-declared “gods” and heroes, and exploits the earth for its own ends.  We read of this almost everyday in the media.  Maybe we are guilty of it ourselves.

As we read the rest of chapter 1, we realise that wisdom is useful for understanding the world, but it mainly helps people in all ages to comprehend how impossible it is to ultimately control and profit from it.

One of the main problems of mankind is that it always tries to challenge the nature of reality.  The Preacher says,

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

~ Eccl 1:14

But people have always insisted that the impossible can be achieved by human effort.  We presume that with modern technology and knowledge (much more than that of any previous generations), we know and can make the world work for us.  We stand on the edge of genetics that will, we believe, give us control over human life itself.  We have looked scientifically into the nature of things, and this has bred enormous self-confidence in our ability to govern ourselves and in due course, to usher in a perfect world.

We are sold all these dreams and illusion through movies, self help guides and scientific advances.

The irony is that those who have pursued this wisdom most relentlessly often understand best the limitations of our understanding.

However, there are many, including Christians, who do not want to accept this and strive to try and achieve the impossible by their own efforts.  This thinking was and remains futile:  God is God, and the world is the way it is.  Refusing to accept reality can only result in disillusionment and weariness.

So let us take some time today and think about these two very important questions and what it means to us.

“What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?”

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?