All the Toil Under the Sun
Ecclesiastes 1:1–3
“The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” -Ecclesiastes 1:1–3
George Sanders was the voice actor behind the fearsome tiger, Shere Kahn, in Disney’s 1967 Jungle Book. By anyone’s standards he was a successful actor, starring in 126 movies, 10 television series, and a Broadway musical.
But for all his success, he failed to find a reason to live. In April of 1972, he shocked the world by committing suicide in a hotel near Barcelona by ingesting five bottles of barbiturates. He left behind three suicide notes which read:
Dear World, I am leaving because I am bored. I feel I have lived long enough. I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool. Good luck.
George Sanders wasn’t the first person to ever feel discouraged, fed up, or hopeless about his life and future. And, we can be certain he won’t be the last. The truth be told, at some time or other, and to one degree or other, most have entertained the idea of checking out of this sweet cesspool and wishing the rest of humanity a gallant Good luck!
Thus, our perspective today will make all the difference how we live and die, tomorrow.
In large part, gaining the proper perspective on life is what the book of Ecclesiastes is all about. We could properly call the book of Ecclesiastes a sermon attributed to, if not written by, Solomon, the second son of David and Bathsheba, and the third king of Israel. Solomon lived around the 10th century B.C. and in this sermon, he reflects on the meaning of life under the sun and concludes it is all worthless.
The word translated “Preacher” in the first verse is the Hebrew word Qoheleth. Some English translations of the Bible have chosen to leave the word untranslated because it carries so much more meaning than preacher in our modern sense of the word. It can also mean spokesman, philosopher, and teacher. But preacher is often preferable because as Philip Ryken explains, the role of qoheleth, along with the word’s etymology, is more like a pastor in a church than a teacher in a classroom. Ryken writes,
[Qoheleth] is preaching wisdom to a gathering of the people of God.This context is clearly reflected in the title this book is usually given in English. “Ecclesiastes” is a form of the Greek word ekklesia, which is the common New Testament word for “church.” An ekklesia is…a gathering or assembly of people for the worship of God. The word “ecclesiastes” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word qoheleth. Literally, it means “one who speaks in the ekklesia”—that is, in the assembly or congregation. So Qoheleth is a title or nickname for someone who speaks in church. In a word, he is the “Preacher.”1
It was and still is a common literary practice to put a message in the mouth of a fine representative of the message; yet, there’s nothing substantial in the text to give us reason to doubt the author is actually who he claims to be. So whether or not the author is Solomon or just taking on the persona of Solomon for the purposes of his sermon he is asking, in essence, what is the point of all our work and struggle on this planet if everything is empty and meaningless?
Initially, his perspective sounds a lot like George Sanders’. However, by exploring this ancient work further, we learn some of the more profound secrets about the purpose of life and how we find significance and meaning as human beings in this vast universe.
As we enter a new resurrection year in the church calendar, some people unfortunately already have their perspective oriented pessimistically. They see through the same lens as George Sanders and conclude life is just not worth living anymore. Others may feel like trying harder to do better is a fool’s errand. Instead of killing themselves, however, they will continue their attempt to escape the pain by delving further into their favorite addiction (i.e., substance abuse, social media, porn, etc).
On the other hand, there are those who are optimistic about the future. The question is, though, on what foundation is their hope and optimism based? Careers, relationships, affluence and entertainment are all ephemeral; they will, like butterflies and soap bubbles, flit away in a moment, leaving those who trust in such things sad and empty. Real hope, real strength, real optimism for all of life comes as a result of envisioning life as a reality existing both under the sun, and above the sun, simultaneously. Only by being in the Son is such a reality possible for any of us.
Philip Graham Ryken, Ecclesiastes: Why Everything Matters, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2010), 16.