The Cycle Of Life Series

The Cycle of Life

Ecclesiastes 1:3-18

Rev. Brian Bill

July 13-14, 2024

We’ve been challenged this summer to read through the entire Book of Ecclesiastes at least three times. As I’ve been doing so it strikes me how many of Solomon’s existential experiments are reflected in popular songs from the past and even in the present. That makes sense because song lyrics often reflect love, loss, and longings. We especially see this in country music. One commentator calls them “morose melodies” built on the “work hard, play hard” motif.

I understand country music is trying to shake off the stereotype of the wallowing cowboy, singing the blues to forget his ex-girlfriend, dead dog, and broken truck. Speaking of that, what happens when you play country music backward? You get your girlfriend, your dog, and your truck back!

Solomon could have written the lyrics to some classic pop songs as well. One of the most famous is called “Turn! Turn! Turn!” performed by the Byrds nearly 60 years ago. The words come right from Ecclesiastes 3.

To everything…there is a season turn, turn, turn.

And a time to every purpose under Heaven.

A time to be born, a time to die...

As I read Solomon’s search for satisfaction in Ecclesiastes 2, my mind went to the lyrics from the famous song by the Rolling Stones, “I can’t get no satisfaction…I try and I try and I try and I try…” We’ll be in this chapter next weekend.

Here’s the main thing we learned in our introductory message three weeks ago: Because life is fleeting, base your life on what will last forever. King Solomon described his pursuits as an empty mist. He strongly states at the end of 1:2: “All is vanity.” The word “all” means, “everything, the whole, entire, without exception.” All of life is a vapor of vapors and every part of life suffers from this emptiness. Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, everything is tainted by a transient sense of futility and frustration.

We could summarize today’s sermon like this: Dissatisfaction is designed to lead us to find satisfaction in God alone.

Please turn in your Bible to Ecclesiastes 1:3-18. In Solomon’s search for satisfaction, he tried to squeeze meaning and purpose out of life by conducting three experiments. He tried, and he tried, and he tried, but he couldn’t get no satisfaction.

• The unprofitable work in front of us (1:3).

• The unending world around us (1:4-11).

• The unsatisfying wisdom within us (1:12-18).

1. The unprofitable work around us. Join me in Ecclesiastes 1:3: “What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” Is there any abiding benefit to our labor? This is a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer. The word, “gain” is a commercial term used in the context of business and literally means, “that which is left over, a surplus.” Solomon had sucked the delight, joy, and pleasure out of everything. And now he wanted to know what would be left over, what would he have to show for himself when it was all said and done? This question is reiterated in 3:9: “What gain has the worker from his toil?”

This reminds me of the earworm song sung by the Seven Dwarfs: “Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to work we go.” The expression “heigh-ho” was first used to convey a sense of “yawning, sighing, weariness, and disappointment.”

The word “toil” was often used to refer to “hardship, labor, misery, and trouble.” This week, Beth went out into our flower garden on a hot day and pulled weeds for a long time. When she came in the house, she saw me relaxing. I thanked her for working hard and asked, “Where did all those weeds come from?” Her answer was brief and biblical: “Sin.”

Genesis 2:15 tells us that work is part of God’s purpose for mankind: “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” However, Genesis 3:17-19 shows that Adam’s fall into sin led him to being frustrated by weeds and weariness: “Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you…”

This reminds me of the Beatles’ song: “It’s been a hard day’s night and I’ve been working like a dog.” The phrase “under the sun” means, “down here on earth” and refers to life without God. If life is only lived on the earthly level, it will ultimately be empty. This is stated profoundly in 4:6: “Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.”

Do you ever wonder if your work is worth it? Learn from Solomon and admit that work will not, and cannot, fulfill all your needs. One pastor writes, “What you gain from your labor depends on why you are doing it. There is a huge difference between living for your career and being sent on a mission. Your career is the answer to the question, ‘What do you do for a living?’ Your mission is the answer to the question, ‘Why did God put you here on earth?’ It’s nice to have a career; it’s far better to be on a mission for God.’”