note18 The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.
Life Application Study BibleEcclesiastesChapter 1
Ecclesiastes 1
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1062, 1063
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
1Ecclesiastes 1
11. Solomon’s personal experience These are the words of the Teacher,* King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.
Everything Is Meaningless
22“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” 3What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 4Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. ’Rivers run into-the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 8Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. 9History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. t0Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.
The Teacher Speaks: The Futility of Wisdom
1212], the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. 131 devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. 14I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.
15What is wrong cannot be made right.What is missing cannot be recovered.
16I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.” 17So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind.
The Futility of Pleasure
Isaid to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But] found that this, too, was meaningless.?So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good doesit do to seek pleasure?” After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.
Life Application Notes 7 notes
1:1-11Solomon had a purpose for writing skeptically and pessimistically. Near the end of his life, looking back on everything he had done, he saw that most of it seemed meaningless. A common belief was that good people prospered and the wicked suffered, but that hadn’t proven true in Solomon’s experience. Solomon wrote this book after he had tried everything and achieved much, only to find that nothing apart from God made him happy. He wanted his readers to avoid these same senseless pursuits. If we try to find meaning in our accomplishments rather than in God, we will never be satisfied, and everything we pursue will become meaningless.
1:2Solomon’s kingdom, Israel, was in its golden age, but Solomon wanted the people to understand that success and prosperity don't last long (Psalm 103:14-16; Isaiah 40:6-8; James 4:14). All human accomplishments will one day disappear; we must keep this in mind in order tc live wisely. If we don’t, we will become either proud and self-sufficient when we succeed or sorely disappointed when we fail. Solomon’s goal was to show that earthly possessions and accomplishments are ultimately meaningless. Only the pursuit of God brings real satisfaction. We should honor God in all we say, think, and do.
1:8-11Many people feel restless and dissatisfied. They wonder: (1) If }am in God's will, why am I so tired and unfulfilled? (2) What is the meaning of life? (3) When I look back on it all, will I be happy with my accomplishments? (4) Why do I feel burned out, disillusioned, dry? (5) What is to become of me? Solomon tests our faith, challenging us to find true and fasting meaning in God alone. As you take a hard look at your life, as Solomon did his, you will see haw important serving God is over all other options. Perhaps God is asking you to rethink your purpose and direction in {ife, just as Solomon did in Ecclesiastes.
1:12-15“What is wrong cannot be made right. What is missing cannot be recovered” refers to the ultimate perplexity and confusion that come to us because of all the unanswered questions in life. Solomon, writing about his own life, discovered that neither his accomplishments nor his wisdom couid make him truly happy. True wisdom is found in God, and true happiness comes from pleasing him.
1:16-18The more you understand, the greater your pain and difficulty. For example, the more you know, the more imperfection you See around you; and the more you observe, the more evil becomes evident. As you set out with Solomon to find the meaning of life, you must be ready to feel more, think more, question more, hurt more, and do more. Are you ready to pay the price for wisdom?
1:16-18Solomon highlights two kinds of wisdom in the book of Ecclesiastes: (1) human knowledge, reasoning, or philosophy, and (2) the wisdom that comes from God. In these verses Solomon is talking about human knowledge. When human knowledge ignores God, it only highlights our problems because it can’t provide answers without God’s eternal perspective and solution.