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.

The Hebrew word for “wisdom” present in this verse is “chokmah.”  It is most frequently employed in the OT in the wisdom books: Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. An initial use of this word may be found in Exodus 35:31, where it is written, “and He has filled him (Bezalel) with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship.” The connotation suggests a divinely appointed gift, exercised for an express purpose. In this instance Bezalel was divinely gifted with wisdom commensurate for the task of creating the tabernacle to God’s design. For the preacher, he alludes to the idea that the wisdom he currently employs is gifted to him, a gift given from above to examine and assess the valuation of works done on earth. So here it is that the reader finds an initial allusion toward the ultimate point of this book. The preacher’s wisdom is not a natural thing according to biblical terminology, but divinely given for the purpose of exercising it for the betterment of its owner and other men.

The purpose of the preacher’s directed wisdom is mentioned immediately. He is interested in all that is done under Heaven. He speaks of such things as being given to mankind. He also describes the works given to mankind as burdensome. The KJV translates “burdensome task” as “sore travail.” What does this mean? The Hebrew word used here is “rah” and has a rather involved meaning. From Strong’s Concordance we learn, “This word combines together in one the wicked deed and its consequences. It generally indicates the rough exterior of wrongdoing as a breach of harmony, and as breaking up what is good and desirable in man and in society.” It should be noted that contextually the word is translated “evil” 442 times in the OT.

The term in English used as “exercised” is the Hebrew “anah.” It is defined as, “to be afflicted, be bowed down, be humbled, be meek.” What, then, is the burdensome (evil) task that exercises (humbles) mankind? It is not the works themselves; the context suggests that the preacher refers to seeking out the truth behind what man does under the sun. When the reality of one’s works, accompanied by their attendant motivations, finally becomes manifest, they are revealed as evil and the one who so exposes them is humbled by that revelation. It sounds as if God appointed the thoughtful person to reflect on this daily reality, and by beholding it in others and ourselves, in humility to turn from its evil. But turn to what? If someone realizes what they do, say, or believe is wrong, they turn from it. But the turning involves an alternative to turn toward. More on that later in the book, God willing, so we will leave that thought there for the time being.

Verse 14 further concretes the notion that it is the realization of the works, not the works of themselves, that vex the thoughtful seeker. The preacher, so enlightened by the gift of wisdom, viewed the collective effort of humanity as vanity or futility. In everything mankind did under the sun there was an abject pointlessness to it. There was no objective or absolute purpose behind it. It was vexing to him because it (human works) served only to foster carnal gratification. But like physical hunger, carnality is only sated momentarily until something else kindles its interest and all of lust’s power is bent on its newest pursuit. Remember, the preacher qualified this seeking regarding “all that is done under heaven.” No act and no person (the preacher included) is exempt.

Furthermore, the preacher goes on from stating that human works are pointless, to likening our unified efforts to grasping for the wind. The NIV renders that portion of the verse, “chasing after the wind.” The ESV renders it, “a striving after the wind.” Jesus our Lord says of the wind, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going,” John 3:8, NIV. While our Lord uses a metaphor to refer to the second birth, the NT often speaks of the wind metaphorically as an evil thing, driving people away from truth and into error or judgment, Ephesians 4:14, Jude 12. In the OT, the prophet Zechariah had a vision of demonic entities, similar in appearance to the unclean stork, their wings being ruffled by the wind, Zechariah 5:9. Since the stork is listed as an unclean animal that was not meant to be eaten, it does suggest these angelic beings were evil spirits, Deuteronomy 14:18. Finally, Satan himself is referred to as the prince of the power of the air, the spirit now at work in the sons of disobedience, Ephesians 2:2.

Paul says of those who serve this prince, “all of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath,” Ephesians 2:3, NIV. One can perceive more clearly why dwelling thoughtfully on our actions and choices, why the attendant consequences would be less than desirable. Chasing after the wind at the least has the connotation of futility; we do something for literally no actual reason. It serves no purpose in the ultimate scheme of existence, because apart from Heaven’s revelation existence has no fundamental purpose. No action is any better (or any worse) than the next, because every choice great or small is completely without meaning. Life has no meaning, and the things we fill our lives with are partly in an effort to supply this existential lacking we instinctively comprehend. At the most pursuing the wind means chasing after the purpose supplied to mankind by Satan, who is lord of this world and the father of those who embrace and espouse it. Once more, our Lord explains. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do,” John 8:44, KJV. In either scenario the preacher sees only vanity, and naturally opines about this sad state of affairs.