This passage is considered by many to be the prologue to the book. (And 12:9-14 is the epilogue.)
Ecclesiastes is a book inspired by God to teach us wisdom, though from a perspective that we aren’t used to. It’s written from the perspective of a man, the Teacher, who has lived a full life of sorts, with knowledge, pleasure, labor, wealth, and more, yet apart from God. And the Teacher thought all this would bring true meaning and satisfaction. But in the end, he discovers that life apart from God is futile.
- Vs. 2 immediately presents a dark, seemingly pessimistic tone to the whole book. “Futility” or “vanity” is the Hebrew word, “hevel”, which literally means breath or vapor, and it implies something temporary and fleeting, like trying to grasp our breath on a cold morning. Skim through chapters 1 and 2. How many times is the word used?
- Verse 3 sets the stage for this prologue and asks a deep, rhetorical question. How do you answer the Teacher’s question?
- The rest of the passage provides an answer to the question of verse 3.
Vs. 4 speaks of the generations of people. How does this answer the question?
Vs. 5-7 speak of features of nature. Again, how does this answer the question?
What does vs. 8 mean?
Vs. 9-10 speak of “nothing new under the sun.” Surely every age has new inventions and other such things, but what is the Teacher referring to?
Vs. 11 sounds a somewhat depressing tone. What is his point? - Now re-examine vs. 1-11 as a whole. How might this help the reader to rethink what is important in this life?
- Read Matthew 16:24-28. What does Jesus say is important? How does the gospel and the reality of eternity gives us more hope than the Teacher seems to have in Ecclesiastes 1:1- 11?
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