Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (Ecc. 1:3). He wrote this from the vantage point of what he called “under the sun,” reflecting on his pursuits and relating their summation to his audience. His pursuits, as king in Jerusalem, were limited only by his imagination. He used his position and vast wealth to pursue whatever his heart desired, whether it was building great cities, enjoying the pleasures that life offered, or even exploring the benefits of wisdom and knowledge. His conclusion – life’s pursuits as lived out under the sun offer no substantive value or gain. Rather, they are fleeting and unsatisfying.
One important key to understanding the message of this inspired book is that phrase “under the sun.” The Preacher (as Solomon calls himself) sees life as the natural man sees life, i.e. human existence without the presence and overriding influence of God. Man is born; he lives and pursues life in an unchanging and impersonal world; he strives for those things he believes will bring endurance and satisfaction; then he dies. There is “nothing new under the sun.” These fundamental features of life have been the same since man’s fall in the Garden of Eden. Some have more and some have less, but all die.
Life’s pursuits and achievements without God are indeed vain. They are empty, elusive, unsatisfying and require unrelenting, tireless, repetitive labor. These labors are for our own benefits and comforts. Yet those benefits and comforts do not last. We work for our food, clothing, and housing. But food needs replenished, clothing wears out, houses need maintenance and repairs. We hope for small vacations, escapes from the routine of our labors. But they are just that – small. We work hard so we can send our children to college that they might carry out these pursuits of their own, but on a grander scale. And all the while this path is peppered with sickness, disappointments, griefs, and a myriad of other frustrations.
When sin entered the world, it brought chaos, confusion, difficulty, hardship, and consequent suffering. Sin brings darkness for light, disorder for order, falsehood for truth, and ultimately death for life. Truly, from this vantage point, there is nothing new under the sun. But Christ has broken that paradigm. He brings hope for despair, peace for anxiety, strength for trouble, and life for death – for where sin abounds grace much more abounds (Romans 5:20). Christ brings a new covenant by which a man or woman can experience the new birth and become a new creation. In so doing, we rise above the confines of life “under the sun” as the Preacher related to a life under the Son as Christ has promised. He brings meaning to a life otherwise characterized as “vanity of vanities.”
From the Chaplain 