Breaking Life's Monotony, part 1

Ecclesiastes 1:1-7

Ecclesiastes, Part 1

" Is there any purpose to life?
" How many people wake up to face their day with delight?
" Who genuinely enjoys their occupation?
" Who inserts creative activities into their day to keep an enthusiasm for life? These are some of the things Solomon wrestles with in this book of life UNDER THE SUN.
" "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity," Solomon laments! Let us look at this incredible book of Ecclesiastes telling us of life from man's point of view.

1. Introduction to the Book

A. The AUTHOR was Solomon:

A King, author, songwriter, poet, architect, philosopher, yet in this part of his life, Solomon was questioning; he was disillusioned and living on the dull edge of dissatisfaction. He borders on depression! The word PREACHER, in Hebrew, "Koheleth" means "One who calls an assembly." The Greek word for assembly is "ecclesia," so the title of this book comes from the Greek word for assembly or church. What makes this book fascinating is it views life from the perspective of a man who is not right with God. It shows man on a fruitless search for meaning and value. At the end of the book he reaches the proper conclusion, which is the only conclusion for a satisfying life.

B. The AIM.

There are definite key phrases that appear throughout the book that give us the man theme of the book:

1. VANITY: (38 times), Read Ecclesiastes 1:2.

Vanity is a puff of air. It's what is inside a soap bubble. Whatever flashes on the scene, disappears quickly and leaves nothing behind without satisfying is VANITY!

2. UNDER THE SUN: (29 TIMES), Read Ecclesiastes 1:3.

What does the phrase "under the sun" refer to?

This is the writer's perspective. A life under the sun is life from a human perspective. When Solomon sees life under the sun without considering Him who is above the sun, he is full of confusion and frustration. Only when Solomon takes account of life above the sun that life under the sun makes sense.

3. PROFIT: (10 times), Read Ecc.1:3 again. Consider the question the writer asks in verse three. What do you believe is a good answer? What does profit mean and what kind of profit does he refer to? Profit is what's left over. The writer wants to know what gain is there in life? What is man advantaged by his labor?

4. VEXATION OF SPIRIT: (9 times), Read Ecc. 1:14,17.

What does the writer mean by "vexation of spirit?"

Literally, a chasing after the wind. That which is futile and frustrating! Can you ever catch up with the wind or beat the wind in a race? Yet, in his evaluation of life under the sun, that was Solomon's conclusion. Life is like chasing the wind! Even the supposed enjoyments of life are like chasing the wind: vacation, travel, extravagant possessions, sexual pleasures, and delicious food, exotic wine, all is chasing the wind! (1:17)

If there is nothing but vanity under the sun, our hope of satisfaction must be above the sun! Solomon makes a full investigation of the visible world and comes up empty, so what is the conclusion? The one thing needful in this life that gives lasting joy is the One who is invisible, our great God!

Let's now begin to look more closely at chapter one. Read Ecclesiastes 1:4-7: What is the main idea of these verses?

This chapter reveals the circuitous monotony of life. Life is a circle. Black Elk, the Sioux religious leader said, "Everything an Indian does is in a circle." We talk about the cycles of life, "the wheel of fortune", or "I came full circle." As he looks at the circles of life, his conclusion is VANITY, a puff of wind! Useless frustration! How do we break the grinding boredom of life? How should we look at the cycles of our world? Let's look at the cycles and see the wonders of God and break out of the monotony of life.

Ask, How can we look at the cycles of life and overcome the sense of boredom and monotony? What principles can you find in these verses that help us deal with the monotony of life?

The first way to break life's monotony is:

1. GLORIFY GOD FOR HIS GREATNESS, v.4-7

As Solomon looks at creation, he sees the continual cycles of life.

A. Generations, v.5
B. The sun, v.4: The sun goes around, and starts in the same place every day. It makes no progress!
C. The Wind, v.6: The wind goes all over the place, but it returns again to start where it began.
D. The Rivers, v.7: The water recycles all over the globe and makes no progress.

Solomon looks at these circles of creation and is frustrated. But wait! These very things that look like monotony show the power of God! Solomon, talking like a scientist, looks at creation and says, "Nothing is different." But these very cycles show the glory and power of God! "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). When God finally answers Job concerning all his suffering, he does not tell him why he allowed Job to suffer, he tells Job, I control the universe every day! I am holding everything together. By Him all things consist!

Job 38:18, Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth: declare if thou knowest it all.
Job 38:22, Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow: or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail.
Job 38:28, Hath the rain a father: or who hath begotten the drops of dew:

The fact of the matter is the sun, the wind, the rivers, the earth are so deep that man still has not grasped fully all there is to know about these mighty aspects of God's creation! These seemingly monotonous cycles of God's created universe ought to make us marvel at the mighty power of God! The Lord not only created these things, but He upholds all these things with the word of His power. He is the designer of the earth's system of hydrology, precipitation, evaporation, and the cleaning of the water! No one can even get the bottom of these unsearchable fields of study.

When we truly live for the glory of God, we have a purpose that never grows old.