Ecclesiastes Chapter One, Wisdom's Burden

Ecclesiastes 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

The preacher here states that the truly wise are likewise genuinely burdened. To be wise and to acquire knowledge makes one aware and accountable. If you know, and do not act, it is evil. Even the secular saying, alleged to have been spoken by Edward Burke, agrees with this. “All that is necessary for evil to triumph in the world is for good men to do nothing.” To be “good” posits the requisite knowledge that we are self-aware of evil’s corruption in human lives, disagree with evil’s worldview, and being thusly aware, choose to disregard said knowledge.

Ecclesiastes Chapter One, Wisdom, Madness, & Folly

Ecclesiastes 1:17 And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.

The preacher determines to know three things at the outset: he wishes to know wisdom first and foremost. The foundational wisdom the prudent Hebrew subscribed to was written in Proverbs. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding,” Proverbs 9:10.

Ecclesiastes Chapter One, Credentials

Ecclesiastes 1:16 I communed with my heart, saying, “Look, I have attained greatness and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge.”

The preacher introspects, considering the credentials he has for scrutinizing the monumental task set before him. He is mustering confidence by attributing to himself greatness. He extols his efforts, counseling himself to “look,” on what he is and has accomplished. If there was a man under Heaven that could unravel this cosmic mystery and shed light on human purpose under the sun, it is feasible that he is such a man.

Ecclesiastes Chapter One, The Absence Of Merit

Ecclesiastes 1:15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered.

The present verse has the preacher phrasing verse 14 differently. In the previous verse, the preacher states how he witnessed all things done under the sun, that is, the work God has given to mankind. Furthermore, he notes the utter futility of it all. It is tantamount to grasping after the wind, which is an excellent depiction of an impossible task.

Ecclesiastes Chapter One, Beholding Futility

Ecclesiastes 1:13 And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised. [14] I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

The preacher sets out to determine whether what is done under Heaven has purpose of itself. In his own words, he set his heart to diligently seek out an answer; the compound descriptor emphasizing the sobriety and gravity of the seeker’s intention and effort. More than that, the preacher sought these things by wisdom.

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By the grace of God and the diligence of my devoted wife and her artistic skills (she creates the covers for my fantasy fiction), The Canticles of Andurun Book 5: Ascent of Shadows is available starting today on Amazon! I am so pleased and feel very blessed to be able to finally move forward with my fiction series! The novel is available in soft cover and Kindle versions, and I am presently hoping that the sixth volume in the series can be out by January next year. God bless!

Ecclesiastes Chapter One, Who Is The Preacher?

Ecclesiastes 1:12 I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

Verse 12 clearly gives a strong indictment as to the identity of the preacher. The writer does not identify himself with northern Samaria or southern Judah, as they would become in the wake of the rebellion Jeroboam led against Rehoboam after his accession to the throne. No, only three men qualify for a united Israel from the throne of Jerusalem. Saul is disqualified simply because we are informed that the preacher is king over Israel from Jerusalem, a city that David took from the Jebusites during his reign, 2 Samuel 5:6-9. We read, “In Hebron [David] reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty three years over all Israel and Judah,” 2 Samuel 2:5:5.

Ecclesiastes Chapter One, Old & Forgotten

Ecclesiastes 1:10 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 come after.

Amazingly, these first 11 verses form a sort of primer for the weightier material the preacher is about to examine and give his insight on. One may say that this introduction was a sweeping overview of the issue (the purpose for man’s labor) and his rebuttal to an argument for purpose under the sun: there isn’t one. Not one that is universal and absolutely satisfies the craving eyes and ears of humanity.

Prayer Request For Joanne

Good evening all. I would like to bring this matter before my readership and request that prayer and supplication are made on behalf of Joanne, the grandmother of one of my employees. My employee came to work today with the distressing news that his grandmother was diagnosed with cancer.

Ecclesiastes Chapter One, Vain Repetition

Ecclesiastes 1:9 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.

Verse 9 solidifies the former passage, summarizing the preacher’s observations about life under the sun. Anything formerly experienced by preceding generations will be “what is new” for the generations that follow, typifying the old saying that there are no new things, only old things happening to new people.

Ecclesiastes Chapter One, Filled With Labor

Ecclesiastes 1:8 All things are full of labor; man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

Verse 8 is the culmination of the previous four verses. In fact, verse 3 actually begins a rhetorical question that is nonetheless explored in the following five verses, finishing with verse 8.

Ecclesiastes Chapter One, Circular Nature

Ecclesiastes 1:6 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.

While these verses are not meant to specifically be scientifically accurate statements as we would construe such things in modernity, yet they do aptly describe the weather system and hydration. The winds the preacher refers to constitute a global circulation that does indeed form what the preacher referred to as a “circuit.” The hydrological cycle, discovered and proven in modern times, reveals that the rivers receive their hydration from oceanic evaporation, thus creating a cyclical nature of rainfall.

Ecclesiastes Chapter One, Rise & Fall

Ecclesiastes 1:5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it arose.

The book of Ecclesiastes is found in the Tanakh, the Jewish Bible, in the collection of the writings, or the Kethuvim. To be specific, the Jewish Bible is comprised of the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. Amongst the writings may be found poetic narratives such as the Psalms, Song of Songs, or Lamentations. There are also historical writings in the form of Ruth, Ezra, Nehemiah and 1 and 2 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles in the Tanakh is the book of 1 and 2 Kings in the Christian Bible.

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Ecclesiastes Chapter One, Assembly Line

Ecclesiastes 1:4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever.

There are a few sayings in our day and age that catch a little of the spirit of what the preacher relates. One is, “All things old are new again.” The other is, “all news is old news happening to new people.” Rest assured, the preacher deals with the concept of a new generation supplanting the former, and the thoughts and feelings attached to such a cyclical ceremony.

Ecclesiastes Chapter One, Profit & Loss

Ecclesiastes 1:3 “What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?

Take note that “vanity,” or, “all is vanity,” is intrinsically linked to the next phrase revealed by the preacher in verse 3, “under the sun.” If I may be so bold as to paraphrase the saying, I would render it akin to, “from man’s perspective, “ or, “if man is the measure of all things.” Neither flow nearly as well, but we may easily concede the point the preacher is making with his phrase.