Ecclesiastes 1:4-8

2. Compared with the world, man is transitory and all his efforts are futile. Ecclesiastes 1:4-8

TEXT 1:4-8

4

A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

5

Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; and hastening to its place, it rises there again.

6

Blowing toward the south, then turning toward the north, the wind continues swirling along; and on its circular courses the wind returns.

7

All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.

8

All things are wearisome; man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 1:4-8

10.

When did man become a transitory creature? Cf. Genesis 2:17.

11.

How is the term forever to be understood in Ecclesiastes 1:4? Cf. Hebrews 1:10-12 and 2 Peter 3:10-11.

12.

In addition to the generations of men, what three things that God created are used to illustrate the routinism of our world?

13.

Everything that man does see and hear, he describes how?

PARAPHRASE 1:4-8

Generations are indeed transitory in their coming and going as compared to the earth, which appears to remain forever. The sun rises and sets, staying within its orbit or tent,[6] and panting along mocks the futility of man. Likewise, the wind stays within its appointed circular courses and going toward the south and turning back toward the north it continues swirling along. The little wet-weather streams run to the sea, but the sea is never full. In due season they fill their banks and flow to the sea again, but the sea is never full! Man, in his trek about the earth, is never able to see everything or hear everything. All things continue in wearisome toiling; man cannot tell how much.

[6] This concept is not foreign to the Bible. In the New American Standard Bible, Psalms 19:4 is translated. He (God) has placed a tent for the sun. Cf. Psalms 104:2. This is a picturesque description of what one should envision when considering man under the sun. The tent closes out the higher values and confines man to knowledge and wisdom discovered only within the tent.

COMMENT 1:4-8

Ecclesiastes 1:4 Both man and earth share in the gloomy, monotonous routine of activities. Both man and earth are transitory. The tragedy manifests itself when men, the highest of all God's creatures and made from the earth, continually pass away while the earth remains. Solomon pictures the world as the stage upon which the tragic drama occurs. One generation enters as the former generation exits. The events that take place within each generation are described in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. They encompass one's life from the time of birth to the time of death. The Preacher does not see beyond the tent which God pitched for the sun and earth. From his observations he concludes that the earth remains forever. When he has reviewed how man spends his short span of life, with its numerous activities involving the appointed time for everything, he raises the same question with which he opens his book: What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? (Ecclesiastes 3:9). Man doesn-'t seem to have any advantage, and the only advantage the earth has over man is in its duration. But even here, the word forever does not mean eternal. In Exodus 21:6, instruction is given whereby a servant is to serve his master forever. It simply means a good long time. Old Testament evidence of the transitory nature of the earth is found in Psalms 102:24-28.

Metaphorically, James implies that it is indeed the sun which destroys us. He says, speaking of man, because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with the burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and its flower falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth; so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways (James 1:10-11). It is in this same context that James reminds us that our life is but a vapor, and like the vapor will quickly vanish away.

Ecclesiastes 1:5-7 The lesson of man's transitory nature and the futility of earthly endeavor is the purpose of this section. To look for more than this is to cloud the issue and perhaps miss the impact of the book.

The sun, the wind, and the rivers disappear, but unlike man, they are there again tomorrow! In our modern day we see and hear man's protest that the earth outlasts him. Such plaintive cries as That lazy old sun ain-'t got nothin-' to do, but roll around heaven all day, or, Old man river, he don-'t say nothin-', he just keeps rolling, he just keeps rolling along, demonstrates man's frustration and resentment in the light of his own transitory existence. The sun stays within its own appointed limits but as it pants along it appears to actually mock as man works in endless endeavor to discover the profit of his labor. Likewise, the wind is confined to circular courses, and although it appears to pass on never to return, it inevitably finds its way back in its trek about the earth.
The streams, which once flowed freely and often furiously to the sea, may at times beg for water and appear to have lost their intended purpose, but in time they fill their banks and rush toward the sea again. Thus, they demonstrate, that unlike man they continue on forever!
Even though the sun, wind and streams continue on beyond the duration of any generation, they demonstrate the unwearied sameness of the procedure of the repetition of all things. Everything the sun shines upon is transitory by nature, even the sun itself. Man comes and goes, the sun comes and goes, the wind comes and goes, and the streams come and go.

Just as there is a sameness in the backdrop of nature, and a sameness in the props which appear upon the stage of life, so there is an identifying characteristic of sameness to be found in man. Since the fall, man and his world have at least one thing in common: they have been made subject to vanity (Romans 8:20). Solomon is sharing with us the conclusion of his initial observation. He remarks that man, like his world, is in ceaseless, monotonous, regular motion. Both are on a treadmill, it is just sad that man exits first.

Ecclesiastes 1:8 Two ideas are possible in translating verse eight. One suggests that all things are more wearisome than words can tell. The other suggests that it is wearisome to try and discover all things. The final thought in the verse is saying that man is unable to discover everything that should be seen or heard and thus the latter idea would be the most tenable. He does not intend to say that man cannot discover some truth or draw reasonable conclusions. Ecclesiastes is filled with numerous discoveries made under the sun. He is stating that when one pursues earthly knowledge, the eye cannot see it all nor the ear hear it all. But, even if he did, he would not discover the meaning of it all. He knows enough to at least reach this conclusion.

FACT QUESTIONS 1:4-8

22.

What is the tragic drama taking place?

23.

What is the only advantage the earth has over man?

24.

Explain the meaning of forever as it is used in Ecclesiastes 1:4.

25.

What is the main purpose of this section?

26.

What two ideas could come from the translation of Ecclesiastes 1:8?

27.

Is man capable of attaining knowledge apart from the revelation of God's word? Explain your answer.

28.

If man could discover everything going on in his world, he would still not have the answer to what important question?