College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Ecclesiastes 1:3
C. EXPLANATION: 3-11
1. Man cannot show a profit of all his labor under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:3
TEXT 1:3
3
What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 1:3
8.
Explain the meaning of advantage in the light of Ecclesiastes 3:9 and 1:22-23.
9.
Man labors, but his work is restricted to what place?
PARAPHRASE 1:3
If all of man's efforts are for personal gain and satisfaction, when life is over, what does he possess that he can claim as his reward?
COMMENT 1:3
Ecclesiastes 1:3 This first question in the book gets to the heart of the Preacher's pursuit. It is not a question directed toward a lazy person. He is a worker! He has dreams and ambitions. He envisions great wealth and power. It is the advantage or profit that he is concerned with. This same proposition is close to Jesus-' heart as he, too, raises the question, but is quick to offer an incentive to make our work worthwhile. He says, For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds (Matthew 16:26-27).
The term advantage or profit is only used in Ecclesiastes. It does not appear in any other Old Testament book. It is used several times by Solomon (Ecclesiastes 1:3; Ecclesiastes 2:11; Ecclesiastes 3:9; Ecclesiastes 5:9; Ecclesiastes 5:16; Ecclesiastes 7:11). It means preeminence or gain. It may also mean to remain or be left. The meaning here is that of a collected materialistic gain. The Preacher's contention is that man does not have an advantage or profit. He cannot hold on to anything. He toils, labors, plans, but it is like grasping the wind (Ecclesiastes 4:16; Ecclesiastes 5:15).
This first question of the book offers a key to the reader. It is obvious that man will be engaged in making his living by the sweat of his brow (Genesis 3:19). Man and labor are not equal but they are inseparable. But what will be man's profit? This question must be held against the interpretation of the entire book. Even when there is a temporary profit (Ecclesiastes 5:9; Ecclesiastes 7:11) it is short lived and unfulfilling.
Modern man, too, grows weary of facing the labor of each day, realizing nothing more than the financial compensation at the end of the week. The monotonous grind of daily routine of the Preacher's day resulted in the declaration, I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor (Ecclesiastes 2:20).
What a vastly different question is What advantage does the Christian man have in all his labor? Cf. Colossians 1:29; Hebrews 13:21; Revelation 14:13.
Solomon's question and answer are qualified by the phrase under the sun. This restricts both his question and his answer. Just what restrictions the phrase places upon the inquiry and the place and meaning of the phrase in the book of Ecclesiastes now draws our attention.
The phrase under the sun implies a necessary restriction. What is to be included, and what is to be excluded? Since Solomon does not define the meaning for us, we are left to discover the meaning from the use of the idea in the context of the book. One cannot go outside Ecclesiastes for his answer as the phrase is no where else employed in the Bible.
Two other phrases used in the book apparently carry the same meaning. They are under heaven, and upon the earth. It is Solomon's purpose, through the use of these restricting phrases, to make his observations and conclusions believable. On occasion he expresses the futility of life under the sun with such, words as, who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life (Ecclesiastes 6:12)? Yet, he never qualifies his toil upon the earth by contrasting it to any after life or hope of eternal blessing. It is as if he is saying, if on this earth we find our complete experience and reason for existingif this life is all there is, then a live dog is better than a dead lion. for whoever is joined with the living, there is hope (Ecclesiastes 9:4. Life under the sun may not afford man the opportunity for enjoyment, but one must be alive in order to take advantage of such opportunity if it does come.
The restriction under the sun appears to be a self-imposed framework of interpreting the meaning of life as it is lived apart from the verbal revelation from God. Without the benefit of words from God, man is caught in a futile struggle to unravel and interpret the complexities of our transitory world. Thus, the phrase under the sun includes that which has to do with purely earthly things. The Preacher purposely closes off the influence of Heaven for the sake of his higher purpose: i.e. the vanity of all earthly things.
In a very real sense the sun can move about heaven mocking man, disappearing only to return again tomorrow, smiling upon the futile efforts of those who are so identified with sublunary affairs. Yet, for some, a new day dawns and as Malachi predicted, For you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings (Malachi 4:2). The Preacher is not ready to take us to the new day but intends to fully demonstrate that upon the earth, under heaven, and beneath the earthly sun, man toils and dreams but for little profit!
A STUDY OF UNDER THE SUN, UNDER HEAVEN, AND UPON EARTH IN ECCLESIASTES
Scripture Reference
That which is viewed by Solomon under the sun
Observations and Conclusions
All the work one does
What advantage?
Nothing that is new
Already has been done
All that has been done
A grievous task to discover
All the works that have been done
Vanity,
Striving after wind
What good the sons of men might do
Vanity,
Striving after wind,
No profit
All of man's labor, activities and exertion
Vanity,
Striving after wind,
No profit
Work
Hated life,
Grievous,
Futile,
Striving after wind
All the fruit of my labor
Hated it
Must leave it to another
All the fruit of my labor
Vanity,
Another will have control over it
All the fruit of my labor
I completely despaired
All labor and striving
Painful,
Grievous,
No rest,
Vanity
An appointed time for everything
What profit?
Wickedness in the place of righteousness and justice
Vanity
Acts of oppression
Congratulated the dead
Evil activities
Greater congratulations to the one who never lived
Labor depriving me of pleasure
No one to whom to leave the wealth
Prominence and success are soon forgotten
Vanity,
Striving after wind
Riches hoarded by their owner
Grievous evil,
No advantage,
Toiling for the wind
A man who has been given everything from the hand of God, but he cannot enjoy them and a foreigner enjoys them
Prevalent evil,
Vanity,
Sore affliction,
Miscarriage is better,
Ends in the grave,
Never satisfied,
No advantage over the poor,
Futility,
Striving after wind,
Cannot argue with God,
Increases futility,
No advantage
Spends life like a shadow,
No knowledge of to morrow
Few years
No righteous man
Remote,
Exceedingly mysterious
Every deed done,
Futility
Exercised authority to another's hurt,
Dead are soon forgotten,
Wicked receive burial, Men do evil continually, Sinner lengthens his life,
Righteous suffer as though they were the wicked ones,
Futility
Wicked are blessed as though they were the righteous ones
Sleepless effort to discover wisdom and the task done,
Cannot discover the work,
Saw every work of God
Cannot really know
All that is done
An evil,
One fate for all, Insanity in all men's hearts,
All men go to the dead
All that is done: love, hate, and zeal
Have perished, Man no longer has a share
Race is not to the swift, Battle is not to the warriors,
Time and chance determine these things
Bread is not to the wise,
Wealth is not to the discerning,
Favor is not to men of ability
Folly is in the hand of the ruler,
An evil
Princes sit in humble places
Slaves riding on horses, Princes walking like slaves on the land
An evil
The following three references employ the phrase differently. In each instance, the results are positive rather than negative. The Preacher's message to the man who lives under the sun is that he should resign himself to the Providence of God, enjoy one day at a time, and make the most of the now. Salvation or eternal redemption are not the subjects under discussion for the man under the sun. He is searching for the best way to live out the difficult days of his life.
God gives you a few years to eat, drink, and enjoy your labor
Good,
Fitting,
Your reward,
Rejoice,
Keeps you from remembering the past
Eat, drink, be merry, Enjoy pleasure and labor
God gives him these days of his life
Toil and labor with the woman you love
This is your reward Enjoy life
FACT QUESTIONS 1:3
16.
What advantage does man have in all his work done under the sun?
17.
What is meant by the word advantage?
18.
What does Revelation 14:13 teach will happen to the Christian's works?
19.
What two phrases, also used in the book, are equivalent to the phrase under the sun?
20.
What limitations are considered by the phrase under the sun?
21.
Why does Solomon say that a live dog is better than a dead lion? Cf. Ecclesiastes 9:4