Ecclesiastes 1:1-11- For the Love of Labor
Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ: Solomon wrote these words most likely toward the end of his life (based on what he said in Chapter 12). He had faithfully served the Lord, then he fell into idolatry and adultery, and finally, he repented. He had had time to reflect on life and pen this remarkable book. There are a few things you have to remember as you study this book:
1. The constant word used “vanity” 无用means “emptiness” or “meaningless.”
2. This book was written by a Preacher…not a pagan异教徒. So there is an important message about Christ.
3. The sermon that he preaches is really a penitential忏悔 sermon. He is preaching of the folly of his life and the new wisdom he has gained. He wants the church to learn from his sad experiences.
Ps 51:13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.
4. This book is written to the church and that is why it is called “Ecclesiastes.” Church =Ecclesia.
5. Solomon, the author, was the son of the godly David – a man after God’s own heart. So Solomon would have learned much from his father…maybe even his repentance like Psalms 51, when David repented of his adultery and murder.
5. Solomon, the author, was the son of the godly David – a man after God’s own heart. So Solomon would have learned much from his father…maybe even his repentance like Psalms 51, when David repented of his adultery and murder.
Our headings are: Labor Lacks Profit, Labor is only for a Short Time, Labor Lacks Satisfaction, and Labor is Soon Forgotten.
Our goals are: That as children of Christ by blood and baptism, you would put your years of earthly labor in perspective so that it doesn’t detract 毁损you (or control you) from pursuing things of greater value – like the fear of God.
Labor Lacks Profit
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem
1. What in the world was Solomon talking about…saying that everything is meaningless? Is that really true? Strangely, yes. Man is not able to make any real progress without God. No God, no gain.
There is no meaning to anything in life without God. And notice the repetition – “vanities of vanities.” This means “exceedingly or extremely vain.” Repetition increases the force, like in Holy of holies, or God of gods. The things Solomon is going to warn against are extremely useless in the grand scheme of things.
1John For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.
And to emphasize that all things on earth were exceedingly vain, Solomon used the phrase points to everything “under the sun.” This is not a complicated meaning as some make it to be.
2. The point that Solomon is making is that there is no lasting profit from any labor on earth. Those who think that there is great profit in this world find out soon enough that they wasted their time amassing积聚 it. So quickly all of your labor can come to nothing.
That should not surprise you. Jesus said that the things of this world rust, are eaten, or are stolen.
Matthew 6:19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
It could be one frivolous无关紧要的lawsuit against you…an accident…a sickness…one sick child…one loss of job…one homicide bomber…and all that you gained comes to nothing.
3. Don’t misunderstand, Solomon was not saying don’t work – or that work is useless. God denies that!
Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return."
Proverbs In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty.
He was rather saying: “In the grand scheme of life, labor produces little.” Labor certainly does not
produce salvation, and for thing that really matter, it produces so little. You can’t buy true
freedom with money or love. And when you compare earthly profit of labor to all the gifts that
God gives, your earthly profits for work seem like nothing. Think about your priceless salvation. Think about the constant comfort you have from the Lord. Think about the daily reminders you have from God’s Holy Spirit. Think of God’s love letter – his Word – a word that you can read day and night. Think of access you have to God -prayer. Think of the wisdom and knowledge – the knowledge of how to be saved - that God has given you. None of those things can be purchased with the profits of your earthly work – regardless how hard or how long you work.
4. Consider how God characterized man’s substance that he earns by hard work.
Psalm 39:11 When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity邪恶, You make his beauty melt away like a moth蛾; Surely every man is vapor. Selah
1Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
Psalm 49:16 Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; 17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him.
Matthew "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?
Labor is only for a short time
4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever.
5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens赶快(or pants) to the place where it arose. 6 The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit. 7 All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again.
1. Then Solomon pointed out that life is short so labor is short-lived. He used 3 comparisons to which he compared man’s limited ability to labor. (Solomon was wise and always used illustrations to teach. He compared Jesus to Wisdom in the Proverbs, and he compared Jesus to a Bridegroom新郎in Songs of Solomon.A. Man rises like the sun and sets – a period of just 24 hours.
B. Man goes like the wind – which makes a circle and then dies. (North West Palestine
C. Man flows from the mountains to the ocean like a river and dies – never to visibly return. This was just for a day or so…And yet the sea where the river empties itself is never full.
2. Further, Solomon pointed out that you only have limited time to labor (so you can’t achieve much).
The sun will rise everyday, but one day you will not rise. Simply put, you will die.
Psalm 39:5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah
Psalm 78:39 For He remembered that they were but flesh, A breath that passes away and does not come again.
3. And on top of that, whatever you earned is simply left for the next generation. You take nothing with you when you go. Man is mutable易变的(changeable), and so is the value of his work.
Job And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."
Labor Lacks Satisfaction
8 All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing.
1. Work is hard. Most people who have a real job agree. Your job may be physically, mentally, or spiritually hard – but work is hard. Stresses of the job can make you sick. Pastors have committed suicide and are prone to depression. Nursing-home workers have breakdowns. Security guards develop sleeping problems. Smoke damages the lungs of firemen. Steel mill workers have to deal with dangerous fires…and always be on alert.
2. To make things worse, the pleasure from the products you produce or the job you do can sometimes not be felt or appreciated by the senses (a sewer worker, for instance). So they bring no true satisfaction. And even if they did bring satisfaction, it is only a temporary satisfaction. Consider how honey and butter taste good, but how soon the taste is taken away from our mouths! Though the enjoyment was genuine in the mouth and in the heart, it goes away. It is like when you hear a song and like it…but after 250 times, you don’t want to hear that song anymore. It becomes stale. Don’t you get sick of a food, no matter how good it is, if you have to eat it everyday?
3. How it must hurt the feelings of men who labored all their lives, achieved many things, and then realize that their labor lacked satisfaction! We say: Same old, same old. The world is at best a weary land.
Labor is Soon Forgotten
9 That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there anything of which it may be said, "See, this is new"? It has already been in ancient times before us. 11 There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come By those who will come after.
1. There is nothing unique that would be achieved by your labor. It is true that we live at a time with new technology and scientific discoveries. But that was not Solomon’s point. He wasn’t saying there would be no new inventions-he saw many in his times and Israel
Genesis "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease."
2. And not only what you have done will be forgotten – your name will be forgotten also.
Ps 49:11 Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names.
Job He shall never return to his house, Nor shall his place know him anymore.
Conclusion:
Because of Adam’s sin, labor was no longer a basis of reward. Rather, labor became exceedingly useless – lacking profit. To make matters worse, the years of labor are few and therefore you can’t accomplish much. Further still, as hard as man may work, labor lacks true satisfaction. And all your labor (and you) are soon forgotten after you die. But bear in mind labor is being considered here in the grand scheme of life. You are bound to work to provide for yourself and your family. But you have to see labor in that small and proper place in life. There are greater and more important things in life. So what was Solomon’s main goal in teaching about the futility of labor? Solomon wanted man to be “inflamed with the desires for heaven.” You see, as a preacher, his goal was not moral instruction, rather, he was pointing his reader to salvation that was only available in Jesus Christ, which results in the fear of God. Fearing God – have a holy reverence and proper worship – is man’s primary purpose in life. This was Solomon’s conclusion at the end of his life.
Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ: I hope you see that you needed fulfillment. There was a vacuum your soul – a vacuum that working could not fill, but only Jesus Christ could fill. If you get this, you get the main point of what the Preacher is saying. You see, it is God’s faithfulness that credited Christ’s righteousness to you that you can have a fulfilled life and can fear God. You success in life therefore, does not depend upon your husband or your wife…or your skill or your qualifications – but on your Savior alone. 2Co “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Don’t let labor be your god. He is a useless god. Accept this good reminder from God.
Finally, if you are not a Christian, let me ask you as God asked many years ago: Ps 4:2 “How long, O you sons of men, Will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness…?” The reason I ask this is that I know that if you don’t get your purpose for living right, everything you do in life will be worthless. In the whole scope of your life, you working hard will mean nothing. Excelling in society will mean nothing. Being liked by others will mean nothing. So do what is right…give up on yourself…and ask God to make you his child with a real purpose in life.
