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Ecclesiastes 1:3 – What profit hath a man of all his labor which he taketh under the sun?

 

Thought:  Most individuals fill their days with labor of different kinds.  This labor allows them to eat.  It puts a roof over their heads.  They might be able to enjoy some of the fun and beauty of the world with the fruit of their labor.  They might stockpile some of those fruits as well.  But what eventually happens?  The person gets sick and cannot enjoy his labors.  He grows old.  He dies.  He leaves all behind.  What is the real profit of the thirty to fifty years of labor? 

 

Genesis 3:17-19

 

Commentary:

 

A.     Profit

1.       Strong (3504):  preeminence, gain

2.       BDB:  advantage, profit, excellency

3.       K&D:  that which remains over, clear gain

 

B.      Of all his labor

1.       The focus is on the word “all,” that is, from the time he begins to work until the day he ceases to work.

2.       Life is filled with work and toil.  We labor in our jobs.  We work at home.  We put forth great efforts in our sports and hobbies. 

 

C.     Note:  Solomon is locked in on what takes place “under the sun.”

1.       This phrase is used by Solomon 29 times in the book.

2.       It involves the things that happens in a person’s life from the time he is born until the time he dies. 

3.       Remember, he is envisioning a life like many live today.

a.       It is a life focused only on the here and now.

b.      It is a life devoid of God.

c.       It is a life without any contemplation of that which is to come.

d.      A person is born.  He/she works 70, 80, or 90 years, then dies.

e.       QUESTION:  “What is the gain of such a life?”  “What is advantageous about that?”

1)      Their labor provides food and a place to live.

2)      Their labor enables them to joy some of the fun and beauty of the world.

3)      They stockpile a little so they do not have to labor as much when they are old.

4)      But, when life “under the sun” is over, what is the benefit of such a life?  What good has it really produced?  “What profit hath a man?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 1:4 – One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh:  but the earth abideth forever.

 

Thought:  Solomon lays down a fundamental truth in this passage.  Generations come and generations go.  What happens to them?  The people of each generation eventually die.  What has happened in generations past is not known by very many individuals.  What has happened in previous generations is appreciated by even less individuals.  All that we do and all that we think is so important will be left behind.  We will be forgotten.  Oh yes, the earth will continue.  These words emphasize the theme of Solomon’s work:  “All is vanity.”

 

Psalm 90:9-10

 

Commentary:

 

A.     Since the beginning of time, one generation passes away, and another generation cometh.

 

B.      Generation:

1.       Strong (1755):  a revolution of time, an age, generation

2.       BDB:  period, age, generation (period of time)

3.       Dictionary.com:  a generational range of 20 to 35 years

a.       It is the time between a person’s birth and the birth of their children.

b.      My father was born in 1935.  I was born in 1959.  That’s 24 years apart.  My brother is the youngest.  He was born in 1964.  That’s 29 years difference from my father’s birthday.

 

C.     In contrast, “the earth abideth forever.”

1.       The word “forever” does not mean “eternally” (1 John 2:17; Heb. 1:10-12; 2 Pet. 3:10-12).

 

And the world passeth away…

 

2.       In comparison to the transcendent nature of man, the earth appears to be lasting in nature.

a.       It has been some 6,000 years since Adam and Eve walked the earth.

b.      My great grandparents, grandparents, and parents are no longer here, but the earth continues.

c.       When all of us pass from the earth, the earth will continue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 1:5 – The sun also riseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

 

Thought:  Since the very beginning of the Creation, this has been true.  Days come and days go.  The sun comes up.  The sun sets.  The sun comes up.  The sun sets.  Man does not have the ability to change this occurrence.  Even after we are gone, the sun will rise, and the sun will set.  Time continues day after day after day.  My little dot on the earth is so insignificant when the process of time is considered.  I barely rub the surface of history.  I am vain if I really think I am that important.

 

Psalm 19:4-6

 

Commentary:

 

A.     On the fourth day of Creation, God made the heavenly bodies (Gen. 1:14-19).  The sun and moon are our primary light-givers (Gen. 1:16-18).

 

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night:  he made the stars also.  And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness:  and God saw that it was good.

 

1.       God is in complete control of this revolutionary process.  It is He who upholds all things by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3).

2.       There was one occasion when God intervened in the rotation of the earth.  It was in the days of Joshua (Josh. 10:12-14).

 

Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.  And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies.  It not this written in the book of Jasher?  So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.  And there was not day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man:  for the Lord fought for Israel.

 

B.      Just as one generation passes and another comes, the sun continues to rise and to set.  The earth with all of its systems continues steadfastly and with great regularity.  Even when one generation passes, the great light system of the earth continues. 

 

C.     LESSON:  Aren’t you glad that God has blessed us with something this steadfast.  We do not have to wonder and guess about the rising and the setting of the sun.  The sun rose this morning and will set tonight and will rise again tomorrow.

 

D.     The Bible sometimes uses accommodative language.  The sun does not actually rise and set.  The sun is stationary, and the earth rotates on his axis creating the day and night.  But, there is an appearance of the sun rising and setting.  Clarke comments that the sun “appears to be lost during the night” (e-sword).

 

E.      The last expression brings vivid imagery to our minds.  “…and hasteth to the place where he arose.

1.       The sun has to “hasten” back to the place from which it arose.

2.       Once the sun goes down in the east, it runs back to it place in the east so it can rise again.

3.       It is almost like an actor on a stage.  He leaves one side of the stage, runs around backstage, and enters again from the first side.

Ecclesiastes 1:6 – The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

 

Thought:  The inspired writer turns again to the laws of nature.  Just as the sun continually rises and sets, the wind continually fulfills its course.  Notice the phrase, “it whirleth about continually.”  Man will come and go.  The earth, however, continue to function.  It continues to adhere to the laws set in motion by God from the beginning.  Whether things happen daily, or, whether they take a longer time to fulfill, they remain constant.  Just looking at the world, and nothing else, it is a continuous drudgery.

 

Job 37:17

 

Commentary:

 

A.     Solomon now turns to another aspect of this plant, the wind. 

1.       Wind is the natural movement of air and other gases upon the earth’s surface.

2.       It, too, whirls about continually.

 

B.      When we are gone, the wind will continue to whirl about the earth. 

1.       The wind never blows itself out.

2.       It whirleth about “continually.”

3.       “…the wind returneth again according to his circuits.” 

 

C.     There are numerous kinds of winds.  One involves global circulation.

1.       Global winds result from the difference in absorption of solar energy between the climate zones on Earth.

2.       “The two main causes of large-scale atmospheric circulation are the differential heating between the equator and the poles, and the rotation of the planet (Coriolis effect)” (Wikipedia, “Wind”).