THE BETTER LIFE, LIVED UNDER THE SON

“Why am I working so hard?”
Ecclesiastes 1:3-11
Bob Bonner
November 15, 1998

In the past six months has there been an occasion where you felt like saying, “Enough with this work. I quit!”? You may be a high school student or a college student who wants out of school. You aren’t sure why you’re there or what the courses have to do with the rest of your life. Or, perhaps you are someone in the work force who is just tired of the stress and pressures of the rat race and you want to walk away from it all and become a bum, free of all responsibilities and have to answer to no one. Or, maybe you’re a full time parent or homemaker who’s weary of the constant mundane demands of maintaining a home life and you just want to escape to a place of hot tubs, back massages, sunshine, blue water and powdered covered mountains off in the distance. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

In the past two weeks I can’t count how many young and older adults I know who have said the same thing, maybe in different terms, but their question was still the same, “Why am I working so hard?”

A woman had a neighbor drop by unexpectedly while she was cleaning her house. As her guest came in the front door, the woman looked around her dusty and cluttered living room and kitchen area and said defeatedly to her neighbor, “There must be something to reincarnation. It’s hard to believe I could get this far behind in one lifetime!” Work, whether at the office, home, school or the shop, just always seems to be there. We never quite get it all done’ and when we try to, usually something else important to our lives lacks our needed attention, like our spiritual private times with the Lord, or time with our spouse or kids.

At our home, we have this stitchery that showed up on our wall shortly before our children began to arrive. It has served as a healthy reminder as to the place and purpose of work in our lives. It reads, “Cleaning and scrubbing can wait til tomorrow, for babies grow up we have learned to our sorrow, so quite down cobwebs, dust go to sleep, I’m rocking my baby cause babies don’t keep.”

Many in this room are weary because we have lost perspective and feel overworked. If you happen to be one of those folks, maybe this anonymous author’s insight explains how you feel about your normal work day. He writes, “The population of this country is 200 million adults. Eighty-four million are retired. That leaves 116 million to do the work. There are 75 million in school which leaves 41 million to do the work. Of this total, there are 22 million employed by the government. That leaves 19 million to do the work. Four million are in the armed forces, which leaves 15 million to do the work. Take from that total the 14,800,000 people who work for the state and city governments, and that leaves 200,000 to do the work.  There are 188,000 in hospitals, so that leaves 12,000 to do the work. Now, there are 11,998 people in prisons. That leaves just two people to do all the work. You and me. And you’re standing there reading this. No wonder I’m so tired!”

Folks, why are we working so hard?! Some of us work hard to gain possessions and extra creature comforts. Some work hard for the sheer satisfaction that is gained from a project that is completed and well done. Others work had at whatever they do because it gives them a sense of purpose and meaning or gives them some sense of identity. Yet, after a lifetime of hard work filled with stress, many people around 50 years of age, some earlier, some later, begin asking themselves, “Why am I working so hard? What’s the point? Is it worth it?”

Today we want to continue our study in the book of Ecclesiastes, which we just started last week. The passage we are about to look at is one of several in the book that focuses on this subject of our work, labor or toil. In the first two verses of the book, which we looked at last time, we saw that they set the stage for what is to follow. We have learned from these first two verses that Solomon wrote this book for the purpose of saving his readers from the heartache and frustration of investing their lives in those things which really don’t matter much in the end. He wants to show us a better way to live life.

Solomon’s point throughout this book, simply put, is that to live life apart from God’s partnership will lead one to reflect back on a life that has lost its purpose and meaning. A life lived without God at the center, a life lived as though God doesn’t matter or a life lived ignoring God’s interests in every facet of our lives, including our work, is a life whose efforts that will end in a vapor or a puff of smoke that goes up into the sky and disappears without a trace or lasting impact. All of our efforts at making a lasting impact in this world will add up to nothing. Without God, life is purposeless. But with God, even those things which on the surface may seem to have no purpose to the unbelieving eye, have tremendous significance to those who walk with the living God.

In verses 1-2, Solomon’s point is expressed from the standpoint of one who lives life apart from God. From that standpoint, apart from God, “All is vanity.” Now, in verses 3-11, the first subject that Solomon wants to address as it relates to the vanities or meaninglessness of life is this subject of our work, our labor and daily toil. And again, that work could include school work, providing for a family, or taking care of chores around the home… whatever kind of work we do. As he begins verse 3 he asks a question. It is a question, that the very way it is asked presupposes a negative or discouraging or disillusioned answer.

In verses 4-11, Solomon answers this question. The key phrase in these verses that helps us understand Solomon’s reference point from which he is answering the question is the phrase “under the sun” in verses 3 and 9. For those of you who were not here last time, this phrase, “under the sun” refers to a perspective of a view of the world from one who lives as an unbeliever. Hence, the statements found in these verses come from one who has lived life without God and has drawn these conclusions about the fruit of one’s labor.

Let’s look at the question as it is asked in verse 3 [I am reading out the New International Version, which I believe is the most accurate translation of the original Hebrew we have to date, considering the most recent discoveries that affect Hebrew linguistics. It captures more often than not the more complete word pictures associated with the Hebrew.] Solomon asks, “What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?” Coming on the heels of the previous two verses, the tone of that question is not very positive. In fact, it is one of defeat. The answer to come will definitely be a negative one. There are two key words used in this verse. The first is the word for “gain” which is used nowhere else in the Old Testament. It is a commercial term with the basic meaning of “that which is left over.” In other words, “profit or advantage.”

The second key word is a word used 23 times in this book, and it is the word for “labor”. There are many Hebrew words for “labor.” This one means “to toil to the point of exhaustion and yet experience little or no fulfillment in your work.” It carries with it the ideas of grief, misery, frustration and weariness.

Hence, in commercial terms, this man’s question is, “What dividends do working hard really pay in life, when all is said and done?” Or to put it another way, what does it profit me to work so hard?

His disillusioned answer given in the rest of these verses 4-11 is “nothing”. One writer put it this way, “When all is said and done, when you turn the light out at the end of life, when you finally close the door to your business and retire, when you walk away from the fresh grave of someone you loved, when it’s ‘curtains’, the final advantage is reduced to zero satisfaction.” [Swindoll, p. 26]

In the rest of the passage, Solomon explains his defeated disillusioned view of life. He reveals why things searched out in this world with the hope that the things of this world or the philosophies of this world will bring meaning to life, leave us empty. Keep in mind, this view of life is the view that comes from one who is not walking with the living God.

In verse 4 we read, “Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.” The idea here is that one new generation keeps on coming while another old generation keeps on dying off. In contrast to that, the earth keeps going and going and going with ultimately no real changes. He will go on to show us that although the earth, which in comparison to human life is more permanent, the bottom line observation is that with all the generations of humans that are coming and going, all of man’s efforts and searching ultimately get nowhere.

In the following verses, Solomon will use three illustrations from nature as they relate to the earth: the sun, the wind, and the rivers. These illustrations of nature on the earth draw our attention to the point that even though the earth continues in its cycles, it gets nowhere. Hence, the observer of nature should learn a lesson from the processes of nature, that even the actions of nature are futile or pointless. There are no real gains or promotions in what happens in nature. And so it is with human searching and efforts.

Look with me in verses 5-7 at these three illustrations from nature. “The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. [“hurries back” is a picture of a weary runner breathing heavily as he runs in a circular race, only to cross the very same finish line, from which he began the race.] The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. [“full” meaning satisfied] To the place the streams come from, there they return again.”

What’s Solomon’s point? His point is to demonstrate by nature’s ceaseless circular activity, that it produces nothing of ultimate value. Similarly, our ceaseless activity as work or our labors, in the end produce little of permanent, lasting importance or meaning or satisfaction. It is all vanity.

If you look back over the past two hundred years, what do we see by way of permanence in the work world? Companies start up, become famous, then disappear. Kings, kingdoms, and family names come and then die out. Records are broken and often forgotten. In the end, it’s all meaningless, pointless, and inconsequential. And should you ever stop to ask yourself, “What am I producing of ultimate and eternal value through my education or what I produce at work?”, you may end up agreeing with Solomon.

For instance: I know that some of you are artists, either with a brush, or a hunk of clay, a camera, a scalpel or a writing pen. Someday, all of your work will turn to dust or get lost or broken or ultimately burned up when this world as we know it is destroyed. People won’t remember who you are or what you have done, and will care little that you built that home or created that organization or that you started that church, or that you began that movement or headed up a political campaign.

And when the reality of that fact dawns on a person, especially one who is still working hard at one’s endeavors, and needs to keep working hard so as to provide for himself or her family, then the next line really makes sense. Verse 8 reads, “All things are wearisome, more than words can say…”. That word “wearisome” has a very broad usage. It refers to our efforts at work as being fatiguing, tiresome, exhaustive and lacking in satisfaction. Even our efforts to describe with words how meaningless our work has become is beyond description.

In verses 8-11, Solomon shows us three typical pursuits in which people have sought satisfaction through their work, but have come up empty. The first is in verse 8, where Solomon writes, “The eye never has enough of seeing…” whether you are trying to discover the world through a microscope or through world travel ever learning about the customs of other places, one finds no real deep inner satisfaction or new answers to life. Sure, discoveries may be interesting, but they don’t satisfy the deep inner needs of the soul.

“…nor the ear its fill of hearing.” Why do you think news shows, talk shows either on radio or TV attract us? Why are we always so attentive to some new idea or philosophy? It’s because we have itchy ears that can’t be satisfactorily scratched. It’s because we are always hungry to hear more, but like the sea, we never get our “fill”.

That word for “fill” is also an interesting word. According to one scholar, this word for “fill” normally refers to satisfying a physical hunger, but here refers to a deep emotional or psychological satisfaction. It’s something that our soul is hungry for but can’t find its satisfaction in what it hears or learns. It reminds me of what Jesus said to the non-believing or non-God seeking people of His day, in Matthew 13:14, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”

When I think of these verses, I think of some friends of mine who continue to go to school to get one degree after another with no real goal in mind except to answer questions they may have about life. No sooner do they get a question answered through achieving one degree, than it raises another question that requires more study and another degree. But that fosters another question and more searching and ultimately, never coming to a point where their hunger for learning is satisfied. Which leads me to the major point of this verse, it is one of satisfaction in their ongoing pursuits of learning. In the end, their pursuits are all vanity, vapor or meaningless.

And guess what? This pursuit isn’t new. Look at verse 9, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Is there anything of which one can say, ‘Look! This is something new’ [“new” in the sense of something they observed about life, or philosophies or systems of thought that explain the secrets of life and human nature. “New” does not refer to new mechanical inventions or new discoveries about DNA.] It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

Solomon is pointing to another of our inconsequential pursuits; the pursuit of new philosophies or discoveries that will answer the questions of the human heart. People continue to search for answers to what makes life tick or fulfill their soulish needs apart from God and they keep coming up empty. They are producing nothing new nor of lasting importance or value.

Whether you are talking about the moral philosophy that alternative lifestyles are okay or the notion that God lives in the trees and rocks and animals and if we just worship nature we’ll be okay, or the thought that self denial makes you more godly, those philosophies are not new. They are a rehash of things dreamed up by people thousands of years ago.

Take for instance, the concepts being preached by New Age philosophers today. This new age philosophy mixed with evolutionary thought and Indian folk lore, that we are “one with the animals” is nothing new. It’s the very thought process that is at the base of what the Apostle Paul was referring to back in Romans 1 where we are told that we suppress the truth about God and elevate animal life not only up to the plane equal with man, but above us to a place of worship.

Technology is another area of discovery that is related to but no specifically referred to as being new. Although our technology is more sophisticated today than it was in the glory days of Egypt and the pyramids, the bright scientific minds of Egypt thought just like many godless scientists do today. They thought back then, just as today, that in technology we will find the key to abundant living. In the past 30 years, it has been the computer. We have been told for years that the computer is the latest tool which will add to the advancement and better quality of life for the human race. Has it? Show me how the computer has made you more deeply satisfied or at peace with the world. Show me how the warring nations of the world have moved one step closer to world peace because of the computer. The very greed and jealousy that is behind all wars today is still the same old greed and jealousy that was behind Cain’s killing Abel, and the computer has done nothing to change that. How has the computer helped the perverted lustful wishes of the human heart? It hasn’t. The greatest number of hits on the Internet every day, in the 90% range, come from pornographic sites.

Our pursuit of new understanding, new ways of thinking, new modern technology has done nothing to change or satisfy the cry of human heart.  In all of our searching, we rediscover that the soulish needs of the human race have never changed and never will. We may come up with new words to define those needs, but ultimately there is nothing new.

Then why do certain things seem so new? The next verse answers that question by telling us that the reason we think so many things are new is that our memories are faulty. Furthermore, this last verse shows us the third avenue of pursuit that has lead the human race down a meaningless path or vanity for centuries. Verse 11 reads, “There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.”

Ultimately, as this word “remember” implies, we learn nothing from history. If we did truly remember what our ancestors had learned about truth and life, then we would act accordingly. If we had heeded their warnings as to what to avoid and pursued after those objectives which they discovered met the needs of the human heart, then we would be more satisfied. But we don’t truly remember them or what they taught us. Instead, we continue to pursue after the same foolish things they did to find fulfillment. One of which, is to be remembered. Hence, the third pursuit that many are after is leaving their permanent mark on our world, by which they will be remembered, only to discover that they and their accomplishments will be forgotten by generations to come. Our pursuit is to make a permanent mark on our world.

So, all of these reasons for working hard: ie. To learn something new, to produce something creative, worthwhile and long lasting, to do something by which one will be remembered is all a waste of time. It will not bring fulfillment or satisfaction, says the wise man, looking at life from the world’s point of view, that’s life under the “sun”.

But on the other hand, as we will discover later in this book, Solomon’s personal journal, that only when we recognize that we were made for God and by God; and seek to know and enjoy Him and to relate to Him and His purposes on a personal daily basis, then and only then will we find satisfaction and meaning to our labor, in the midst of this corrupt world.

Which lead us to a brief mentioning of what Solomon points us to, living life under the “Son”, as compared to under the “sun”. Jesus, when He came the first time, made you an offer. He said, “I have come that you might have life” [not existence, which is mere living without satisfaction or fulfillment, but LIFE!]. Again, Jesus said, “ I have come that you might have life, and have it abundantly” meaning overflowing with purpose and satisfaction even in the midst of this corrupt, unjust and dying world. When we submit our lives and the point of our labor to Jesus our Lord, and seek to honor Him in all that we do, when we do what the apostle Paul exhorts us to do in I Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”, then there is true satisfaction in our souls. It’s not so much about us understanding how our labor fits into the great scheme of things, as it is being willing to be used of God to do anything that He deems fit. When we do that, then we are guaranteed that all that we invest our lives in does not become vanity or end up a puff of smoke. It moves on into eternity and even affects the face of eternity. When we submit our work to the Lord, no matter what it is, He, the eternal God, becomes a partner in that work. Hard work for the kingdom of God in this life pays off in the eternal life.

When you look at your job or chores as only a way to gain fame, fortune or providing a service in this temporal world, then that’s all it ends up to be. But when you submit your labor to the Lord, it then becomes an avenue through which Jesus Christ can use your life to influence others for Christ. Remember what the apostle Paul says is true of you as a Christian. It is your assignment in this world, regardless of what your work involves. He tells us in 2 Corinthians 5 that you are an ambassador for Jesus Christ.

The only things that produce eternal value and ultimate satisfaction from this life is those which the scriptures say will move from this life into eternity. And according to the word of God, there are only two things that will be carried over from this life into eternity; the souls of men and the truths of God. Every soul is eternal. The scriptures teach us that those souls will either spend the rest of eternity with God or apart from Him, alone and in a condition that is described as a forever gnashing of teeth. Only how we apply the truths of God to our lives and our assignment to be ambassadors and witnesses for Christ is what will cross over into eternity. That means its not so much what temporal things you produce from your labors that counts, but what God produces in you and through you as you submit yourself and your labor to Jesus Christ.

Hence, your work, regardless of how tedious or low paying in this world, has exciting results and potential for eternity. What depends upon the measure of our reward will be our faithfulness to Jesus Christ, in obediently serving Him through our work, doing the best job we can, giving us a platform from which we can speak up for Christ. When we look at our work from that angle, it begins to take on purpose and joy. And even though the difficulty of the schedules we keep or the physically demanding and hard our jobs are, they will seem less demanding and hard when we realize what they are producing. Pretty soon, our jobs don’t run our lives, the Lord does.

You can either choose to work under the “sun” and ignore Jesus and His role in your work or you can choose to work under the “Son” in submission to Christ and have your work mean something eternally important when all is said and done. The choice is up to you.

Allow me to conclude with another’s words as you reflect on these two approaches to your present working assignment. “If you’re married and your only focus is horizontal - - -that is, you’re not living “above the sun” - - -chances are good that your marriage is on its way to failure. The tragedy is that you don’t realize it. If you’re operating your business with human strength in your own wisdom and might (and God is conspicuous by His absence), you can forget lasting satisfaction. You certainly will not know permanent fulfillment. If you are pursuing an education and you’ve gotten this degree and you’re going for another one and you have all these people around you telling you, ‘It’s worth it; you can do it!’ and it’s all being pursued for selfish purposes and strictly with your goals in mind, I’ve got disappointing news for you. You’re going to wind up bored and frustrated.” – [Swindoll, p. 27]

I Corinthians 15:58 reads, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” You daily work might seem to others a waste of time or talent. It may even feel to you like it is overly burdensome and at times the wicked one might lie to you and say, “Man, don’t you think you are working too hard?!”. But there is one thing you can be sure of if you have submitted your life and work to Jesus Christ… and that is this: whatever your labor is, whether it is school work, home work, office work, yard work, your marriage; whatever it is, it is not in vain if you are serving Jesus Christ!

This approach to work is really a form of worshiping Christ and submitting all that you have and are to Him. However, too many of us worship our work and play at our worship, and as a result, life has become vain. How about you? Is your work a part of your worship of Christ, or has your work become meaningless?

There will be a lot more to learn about our work coming up in future studies of this book of Ecclesiastes, so we will leave it here for today.

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