Ecclesiastes 1:1-11: "Hebel!"
One might think that Ecclesiastes 1 makes pretty sobering reading. And it does - if we are worshipping and chasing after futile things. However, underneath this is a great comfort. So let's dive in.
I think it's debatable whether the word 'meaningless' is the best translation of the Hebrew word we find in verse 2. This word, heḇel, is a leitmotif throughout Ecclesiastes, and means 'breath' or 'vapour'. It is something that is impossible to catch hold of. It is used figuratively in Hebrew as well as literally - as something that one chases after in all futility, like a chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:12,14). And so, the 'Teacher' describes 'everything' as heḇel. 'Everything' is a bit meaningless when taken in isolation - it's clearly a dramatic introduction to get our attention! So we would be best off diving into the specifics, and that's what the author of this book does next.
And so, we start with a question: what do people gain from all their labours at which they toil under the sun? There are certainly not many questions more relevant to modern life. Whether at paid work, in the home, or both, all of us toil. And many of us, if not most of us, wonder what we gain from it. The answer we're looking for here is not a monthly pay check. The word the NIV translates as 'gain' is yiṯrôn - otherwise translated as profit, or advantage or excellence. This is something more than the payment of money or the cooking of food and creating of shelter, which enables us to meet our needs in order to carry out more labour the next day, month and year. For some, it might be an overall increase the standard of living: a career progression that sees them earn bigger salaries, climb the property ladder to a bigger house, higher status, better food and more holidays. For others, it might be the products of their labours: wanting to create something new, do something different, and leave a mark on the earth.
All of these things are, of course, possible to some extent. People do acquire wealth, prestige, skills, and create things that leave an impact. But they never do to quite the way we expect them. In verses 9 and 10 the author of Ecclesiastes points out that there is nothing new under the sun. Sure - things might look new, but usually they're just a load of old things reimagined or arranged in a slightly different way. Or, we solve one 'problem', but then that just creates a whole new load of problems, and so the overall balance of human happiness remains the same.
And what of those who better their financial or social status? No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them (Ecclesiastes 1:11). In other words, death comes to us all, and 'you can't take it with you'. Whatever small 'gains' I make in this world will mean very little in 100 years time when I am gone. And of course, for many living paycheck to paycheck, it feels like there is no gain at all.
And if we go further upwards to a couple of verses previously, we see another futility: The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing (Ecclesiastes 1:8). We are never satisfied when we are in a 'gain mindset'. There's always more to acquire, more to achieve, or more to do. When I first entered the world of workplace (obviously on a pretty humble salary given my age and status) I was shocked to find that no one was satisfied with their pay. Everyone - rich or poor - always wants just a little bit more. It may be money, it may be experiences, it may be the less tangible things in life, but there is always more one can gain. Satisfaction is not found in gain itself.
Not only is this 'gain mindset' futile, but it also speaks to the depths of our hearts. Indeed, it speaks of one of the very early stories of the Bible. In Genesis 11 the people started to build the tower of Babel, and said this:
‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’ (Genesis 11:4)
The people of Genesis 11 didn't want to just build buildings that enabled them to live and do the work that God had given them to do, to cultivate the earth and build community, giving thanks and glory to God. They wanted to build a tower to reach to heaven. They wanted to break free of earth and its cycles in which they lived, and they wanted to 'make a name for themselves'. In fact, their story started seven chapters earlier in Genesis 3, when humankind decided they wanted to be gods.
The writer contrasts futile attempts to gain with the natural rhythms of the earth. Here there is not 'progress' as such, but an endless cycle - the rising and setting of the sun, the circulation of the air, and the water cycle. These things are not fallen things - they are God-ordained cycles. It is not futile that the sun rises and sets each day - it is way God designed it to be. And no amount of human intervention will stop the fact that there is a new day each day, with more work to be done. But whether it's building the Tower of Babel, the desire to create something truly 'new', or searching for that elusive satisfaction in seeing everything, doing everything, and always getting 'more' and 'better', this gain mindset is characterised by a search for completion and mastery, not in the work itself.
All this begs a rather uncomfortable question: is the 'human spirit' for progress really something bad that should be quenched? Isn't it the thing that makes us human? Human beings have always looked beyond the here and now - explored, invented, philosophised. Is this all just the result of sin? I think we can safely say that: no, it is not that simple. Firstly, Genesis 1 states that human beings are made in the image of God. We reflect and share in his creative and cultivating work, and there is plenty to be said about good and Godly work. Secondly, the whole story of the Bible is that there is more to life than just the endless cycle of work, food and sleep.
But...the message of this first passage in Ecclesiastes is that this 'more to life' is not to be found ultimately in the 'gains' we seek through our labours - the wealth, the prestige, or the ability to change the systems and processes of the world around us. We have misplaced this desire for 'more' - not the least in our working. We do what Jesus warns against, and store up for [ourselves] treasures here on earth (Matthew 6:19).
And here's the comfort...you can stop chasing it and beating yourself up about where you think you've 'failed' to get out the 'rut'. Is your career not what you expected? Work-life balance non-existent? Or have the dreams and projects you imagined fallen flat? Eventually, these external things will not satisfy. There are many good things that have come out of progress and profit, but they will not lead us to God - they are like breath. The path to satisfaction is elsewhere - but we'll have to wait and see for the answer!
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