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.

Things formerly accomplished will be what the next generation will have to look forward to. Again, it is painfully clear in his sermon that the preacher does not agree with or accept the idea of upward progression because, like the sun, wind and water, it is pointlessly cyclical. In lieu of purpose or progress there is just some nebulous occurrence that men observe, partake in, and finally pass away from while their successors rise up to follow suit. He concludes this verse by expressing one of the ideologies of this book: “There is nothing new under the sun.”

There is a philosophy known as Nihilism, whose tenets reject all religious and moral principles, believing that life is meaningless. Nihlism is taken from the root word annihilate. In the Latin it is “nihil,” and simply means “nothing.” There does not seem to be a clear indicator as to what person or party championed the philosophical concept of Nihilism. The preacher here seems to subscribe to its core tenets of existence demonstrating nothing of objective value, but laborious meaninglessness. The act of doing something does not, of itself, instill meaning in the action. As human beings we like to place purpose in all that we say, think, and do. But the preacher invites the contrast that as you have thought and said and done, so have others before you, and so too will others after you. There is nothing special in what you have conceived and your input contributes nothing to the narrative, because there is no narrative under the sun. “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity,” Ecclesiastes 1:2.

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.

Every generation is victim to being a child of their time. We believe that history represents forward progress, that former times were primitive, men were superstitious fools, and modernity reveals an idyllic picture of all of the strides humanity has collectively taken. But the preacher takes this cozy image and ravages it by explaining that there is nothing new under the sun. There remains war, poverty, murder and all manner of sin. There remains injustice, intolerance, persecution, greed, and men whose ideals compel them to enslave others politically, philosophically or religiously to their cause. The homeless abound as we put the elderly and enfeebled to death as a ritual medical practice. Children are murdered in what we clinically dub abortion. In 2021 there were nearly 626,000 abortions. For every 5 births, one child was killed. People still worship the heavens, practice astrology and witchcraft, use the Ouija board to speak to the dead and harness the curative power of gem stones for medical issues. The gods still reign in many peoples’ lives, having taken different forms and names, but there they are, hidden beneath post modern rhetoric and New Age ideologies.