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LESSON
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*January 6-12
Nothing New Under the
Sun
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This Weeks Study: Ecclesiastes 1.
Memory Text: That which has been is what will be, that which
is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the
sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9, NKJV).
T
he story is told of a Greek philosopher named Diogenes who
walked the streets of Athens with a lantern; his goal was to find
an honest man. According to one version of the story, he finally
found someone whom he believed fit his expectations. Diogenes,
however, was mistaken. The fellow stole his lantern, and poor
Diogenes had to find his way home in the dark.
Whether true or not true, this story reveals how easy it is to be cyni-
cal about life, how easy it is to put a negative spin on things.
Of course, in one sense, thats not hard to understand. The world can
make a person cynical, negative, depressed. Just ask Solomon, at least
the Solomon who appears in the opening chapter of Ecclesiastes. He
looks in nature and sees reason to despair; he seeks wisdom and finds
it depressing; he looks at life as a whole and finds it meaningless. And
for beings who cry out for meaning and purpose in life, we see this as
a hard conclusion to live with. Maybe thats why, even in industrial-
ized countries with lots of wealth, people are depressed. Why else are
millions and millions of dollars spent on antidepressants? Because
people are happy?
Chapter 1 introduces the book. It begins with a look at the futility
and meaninglessness of life lived without the knowledge of God.
*Study this weeks lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 13.
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SUNDAY January 7
Kohelet in Jerusalem
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in
Jerusalem (Eccles. 1:1).
The word commonly translated preacher here, kohelet, is from the
Hebrew root kahal, which means to assemble, to gather. In Greek,
kohelet is translated into a word similar to the Greek word for
church, ekklesia; from this, of course, we get the name Ecclesiastes.
The Jews just called the author, and the book, Kohelet.
Theres been much debate over the centuries regarding exactly what
the word kohelet means. Is he gathering people in order to expound his
great wisdom? Or is he a gatherer of wisdom, as he himself suggests
(Eccles. 1:13, 16, 17)? Well have to wait for heaven in order to know
for sure.
Read Ecclesiastes 1. Write out a short summary of what Solomon
seems to be saying. Dont worry about understanding each phrase
(no one does!); rather, focus instead on the general message and
tone. What point is he making, and how do we understand these
words from a Christian perspective? And, as you read, keep in
mind who wrote them, when, and why.
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On the surface these are words of a bitter man, a cynical man, a pes-
simist. All he sees is repetition, fruitlessness, and meaninglessness in life.
Taken in isolation, his words sound like many modern atheistic philoso-
phers, who bemoan the meaninglessness and futility of their existence.
This, of course, cant be said about Solomon. Instead, remembering that
we need to view this book in light of the whole Bible, we see, instead, the
bitterness and cynicism that come from a life lived apart from God, a
life lived in disobedience, a life lived only with immediate earthly things
in view, as opposed to the greater picture of God and the promise of sal-
vation. Taken in that context, his words fit perfectly with the overall
theme of Scripture, however differently they are presented here.
How much bitterness or cynicism do you see in your own life?
What caused it? How can these things be purged before they
poison your whole spiritual existence?
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T E A C H E R S C O M M E N T S
I Have to Teach Tomorrow . . .
Key Text: Ecclesiastes 1:9
Teach the Class to:
Know: True contentment comes from knowing and serving God.
Feel: Even when faced with mysteries that defy explanation, Christians
are grounded in an eternal reality greater than themselves.
Do: Live with purpose in Christ Jesus.
Lesson Outline:
I. The Emptiness of Life Without God (Eccles. 1:12-18)

Solomon looks back at his life and sees that his quest for earthly
acquisitions and accomplishments is empty and meaningless apart from
God. What do we need at the heart of every pursuit in order to ensure that
its attainment is not futile and dissatisfying?

Often our attention is drawn to the suffering caused by inexplicable

natural and human-made disasters. Yet were also surrounded by simple
everyday miracles. List at least ten of these.
II. Interpreting the Seasons of Our Lives (Eccles. 1:3-11)

Nature in its fallen state only reflects Gods character imperfectly.

What life lessons must we learn from the Bible, in addition to the ones
nature teaches?

Read Ecclesiastes 1:11. What seems to be Solomons chief concern?

What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

Summary: In the eternal scheme of things, our brief lives seem but the blink of
an eye. Yet both Creation and Redemption testify to the high regard that
God has for each one of us. How should we then live?
Learning Cycle
STEP 1Motivate!
Just for Teachers: Step 1 of the Natural Learning Cycle links the
learners experiences to the lesson. Help your class members answer
this question: Why is this lesson important to me?
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MONDAY
January 8
Vanity of Vanities
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is
vanity (Eccles. 1:2).
Most translations of this verse use the word vanity. The Hebrew
word, hebel, means literally vapor or breath; it also carries the
idea of emptiness, meaninglessness, and futility. The word will appear
numerous times in Ecclesiastes.
When you think of vapor or breath, what comes to mind? Why
would Solomon use this image to talk about life in general? See
also Ps. 144:4.
Again, think about the perspective that he was writing from: The
years of his life, so full of potential and promise, were squandered on
things that do not last, things of no permanent value. When most of
your whole life is made up of hebel, of vapor, when you get to the end
of that life the whole thing can seem like a vapor because it passed by
very quickly and seemed so full of meaningless things.
Look up the following verses. How are they expressing, in their own
way, the same idea presented above?
Isa. 52:3
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Matt. 6:19, 20
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Mark 8:36
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James 4:14
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What makes Solomons words so powerful is that here was a man
who had everything this world could offer. He, perhaps unlike anyone
else, had his fill of worldly pleasures. As he himself said later, any-
thing that he wanted he got (Eccles. 2:10). Yet, in the end, he calls it
all meaningless, an empty vapor or breath. What a lesson about whats
important in life and what isnt.
Take stock of your life. How much of what you are doing could
be deemed as hebel? What things are you striving for? What
things do you think are important? If you get what you are
striving for, might you one day deem them as hebel, as well?
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T E A C H E R S C O M M E N T S
Consider This: Which of the characters in the following story por-
trays Solomon?
A powerful CEO (chief executive officer) of a corporation was strolling
along a riverbank when he came upon a fisherman relaxed against a tree
trunk, cap pulled over his eyes. Why, you lazy so-and-so! the CEO thun-
dered. Why dont you get up and make something of yourself? Why
should I? responded the fisherman. So you will have something to your
nameown some assets. Why? asked the fisherman. So you can have
some security and some free time. For what? To do the things you
like! Like fishing?
Answer: Both. The CEO portrays Solomon at the peak of his desire
to acquire, when his value was determined by his valuables. The fisher-
man portrays Solomon after he decided, Whats the use? Its all for
nothing. In the end, Im going to die just as everyone else is.
Consider This: Why is Solomons despair recorded for us?
STEP 2Explore!
Just for Teachers: This step of the Natural Learning Cycle presents
information learners can use to help them better understand the les-
son. Help your class members answer this question: What do I need to
know from Gods Word?
Bible Commentary
I. Why Such Passion for Under the Sun?
In Ecclesiastes 1:3, Solomon introduces his signature phrase, which he
uses nearly thirty times before finally easing off in the last chapters.
Consider This: What is the under the sun point Solomon felt so des-
perate to nail home? (See Eccles. 12:11.)
The relationship between Solomon and God was not like yours and mine;
it was that of king to King. One was under the sun; the Other, above. As
Solomon beheld the King above, he realized that his rolecompared to
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TUESDAY January 9
The Sun Also Rises
Solomon, in his earlier years, was apparently a keen student of nature,
and from nature he learned many spiritual lessons (see, for instance,
Prov. 1:17-19; 6:6-9; 17:12; 26:1-3, 11; 31:10). In his later years, as
well, he was still looking at nature; given his frame of mind, however,
we cant be too certain about the lessons he draws from what he sees.
Read Ecclesiastes 1:4-11. What point was Solomon making? How
accurate were his conclusions?
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Solomon was doing whats often termed natural theology, the
attempt to discern truth about God, reality, and life from nature itself.
Which is fine. Nature has been deemed Gods second book (see, for
instance, Ps. 19:1-7, Isa. 40:26, and Heb. 11:3).
How does nature speak to us about God? What are the limits of what
it can teach us, especially in a fallen world?
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However powerful the message of this second book, you can put the
most brilliant and wonderful text before someone who cant read, and
it will mean nothing to that person. Or, regardless of what you put
before them, if they are not open to what it says, if their hearts are set
in another direction, then not only will they not accept what the text
or what nature says but they could draw the wrong conclusions from
them. Solomon here, grousing over his life, looks at nature and draws
a conclusion thats not necessarily the lesson to be learned. Hes pour-
ing his own negativity and his cynicism into nature itself.
Its easy to do. One eighteenth-century writer argued that, because
naturethrough famines, pestilence, and floodsis so destructive,
man follows natures impulses when he indulges in homicide. In
other words, because nature kills, so can we. Talk about drawing a
wrong conclusion! But again, this shows how easy it is to read our bad
attitudes into whats around us.
How capable are you at looking at things objectively? How
often do you let your bad moods or negative attitudes impact
your actions and words? Why is death to self so important in
order to protect ourselves from projecting our wrong attitudes
onto other things?
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the Trinitywas nothing more in the universe than middle manage-
ment.
II. What Else Is Under the Sun?
Solomon took a special interest in natural history, from which he gained a
clear conception of the Creator. (Review Ecclesiastes 1:3-9 with your
class.)
This passage is about the natural phenomena of sun, wind, rivers, and
sea; yet it opens and closes with references to labor. Why? The point that
both appear to be exercises in futilityflows of energy going nowhere but
to be recycledis easier grasped than one more subtle. Reread verse 4:
Generations pass away, but the earth abides forever. Is Solomon really
saying that while nature itself has the ability to live on, hea king, no
lesshas to die?
III. Is It True That There Is Nothing New Under the Sun?
By verse 9, Solomon has worked himself into a pity party.
Consider This: Where in verses 10 and 11 can your class find the fol-
lowing attitudes?
Everything there has already been done in ancient times, so whats the
use of doing it over?
Nothing has been, or will be, remembered anyway.
Had Solomon truly believed that nothing would be remembered by
future generations, would he have bothered to write Ecclesiastes?
IV. What Good Is Wisdom Under the Sun?
Verse 12 serves as a transition to another under the sun concern.
Consider This: Invite the class to identify in verses 15 and 18 two com-
plaints Solomon had about wisdom. Verse 15: Wisdom doesnt change
anything anyway; what is done is done. Could Solomon here be referring
to his own experiencethat whatever wisdom he now applies to his past
sins, its too late to do anything about them? Verse 18: Wisdom brings grief.
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WEDNESDAY
January 10
Beyond the Cycles
Solomon looked around at nature and saw endless and seemingly
meaningless repetition. The sun rises and sets, the wind blows, the
rivers flow, and it goes on and on for generation after generation. What
was, it will be done again; what will be, it already has been. There is
nothing new under the sun (Eccles. 1:9, NKJV).
His tone, however, suggests that something is wrong in all this and
that things shouldnt be this way. His attitude comes through clearly in
the first verses of the chapter.
Read again Ecclesiastes 1:1-4. What is Solomon saying in those open-
ing verses about the transience of humanity in contrast to the end-
less cycles of nature?
The earth goes on and on; we dont. We are nothing but vapor,
hebel. These thoughts get to the ultimate dilemma of humanity: We
are beings capable of understanding the idea of eternity, of transcen-
dence, of something greater than ourselves, and yet, we see that its
beyond our reach. The sun, the rivers, the windall were here before
us and will be here long after we return to the dust. We come and go;
the rivers, the sun, and the wind remain. No wonder life can seem to
be, as Shakespeare wrote, a tale full of sound and fury, signifying
nothing.
How do the following texts answer the dilemma that Solomon touched
on here in the first chapter of Ecclesiastes? 1 Cor. 15:26, 51-55;
Heb. 2:14; Rev. 21:4.
There have been many great thinkers, many great philosophers,
with all sorts of elaborate and logical systems, all designed to
explain the hard questions of life. But unless they can solve the
question of death, they have no answers for the questions of life,
for, in the end, all life is swept up in death. And, as one can guess,
none of these philosophers has answered the problem (most of
them are dead themselves). Only Jesus, by His death and His
resurrection, has. Jesus has shown us that death isnt the end
and that we, indeed, can one day be alive long after the endless
cycles of life on this fallen planet have ceased to exist or even be
remembered (Isa. 65:17). If not for that hope, Solomon would be
justified in his pessimism.
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But is ignorance truly bliss?
A class member may be invited beforehand to share a personal experi-
ence contrasting wisdom/grief with ignorance/bliss.
STEP 3Practice!
Just for Teachers: This step of the learning cycle will assist you in
helping your class members find the answer to the following question:
How can I practice the information I just learned?
Thought Questions:

Do we regard our possessions as ours that we worked forand

deserveor as gifts graciously on loan from the Lord? If we are widowed,
do we resent God for taking away what was ours, or do we thank Him
for the years in which He lent His gift to us?

You cant take it with you, but you can send it ahead of you. Are we
sending our fair share of gold ahead, in the form of mission funding for
converts?
Application Questions:

Solomon says that history merely repeats itself (Eccles. 1:9, TLB).
In the following context, is this also true? The Lord brings His erring
children over the same ground again and again to see if they will heed
His admonitions or if He will have to leave them to their own weakness.
Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, p. 182. What
ground in our lives that we want never to see again are we going to start
doing something about?

Are there areas of our lives, too, that seem like an endless cycle, going
nowhere? If the answer is Yes, how do we refocus above the sun?
STEP 4Apply!
Just for Teachers: In this fourth and final step of the Natural
Learning Cycle, you will want to encourage class members to make a
life response to the lesson. Help them answer this question, With
Gods help, what can I do with what I have learned from this lesson?
Fasten your seatbelt!
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THURSDAY January 11
Wisdom Under the Sun
Verses 12-18 in chapter 1 of Ecclesiastes give more insight into the
background of the author. Not only does he reiterate his role as king,
he mentions that he had more wisdom than all before him in Jerusalem,
more evidence pointing to Solomon. This all makes sense, considering
that the reign of Solomon was one of great peace and prosperity. The
king, not worrying about invaders or rebellion or economic collapse,
had time to seek for knowledge and wisdom under the sun.
Noticethe phrase used here, under heaven (vs. 13), is another way
of expressing the same idea as the phrase under the sun (vss. 3,
9, 14), which appears more than twenty times, and only in
Ecclesiastes. What does the phrase mean, and how does it help us
understand what Solomon is saying here?
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Under heaven, under the sun, is another way of talking about what
goes on here, on earth. What we see here is, again, another example
of the futility of all earthly knowledge and wisdom. The world, and all
thats in it, cant answer the hard questions of life; indeed, the world
and all thats in it cause many of the hard questions of life. The answer
has to be from something greater than the world, above the world,
something that has overcome the world (John 16:33). And that, of
course, is Jesus. Otherwise, as Solomon sees here, the world leaves
one frustrated, angry, cynical. He gains all this wisdom, and for him it
brings only grief and an increase of sorrow.
German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, sounding like Solomon,
wrote, Everything in life [under the sun] shows that earthly happi-
ness is destined to be frustrated.
Go back over Ecclesiastes 1:12-18. What things in particular does
Solomon find so frustrating and vain? Also, howdo the words here
fit in with 2 Timothy 3:7?
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Notice Ecclesiastes 1:15: That which is crooked cannot be made
straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. What
bent or broken things in your life just cant be fixed now; what
things do you lack that the world just cant supply? How do
these things make you long even more for the return of Jesus?
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Speaking of the workers on the tabernacle who demanded higher wages
for their professional skills, Ellen White wrote, Not for the wages we
receive [in Gods work] are we to labor. The motive that prompts us to
work for God should have in it nothing akin to self-serving.Ellen G.
White, Prophets and Kings, p. 65, emphasis supplied.
Consider This: Since God has revealed that He has given each person
a work that no one else can do for Him (see Ellen G. White, Evangelism,
p. 495), for which are we actively searching?
to find the right wage
to find the right place
Would God appoint you to a position and then not be big enough to
take care of you? Is anything too hard for the Lord (Gen. 18:14)?
Could anything be more exciting than to know that God cut out a posi-
tion you alone can fill? Do you feel special?
In our search, how can we be sure that we can determine the right
place? Is it my obsession or Gods impression? First, Christ is ever
sending messages to those who listen for His voice.Ellen G. White,
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 542. But read on!
The Lord will teach us our duty just as willingly as He will teach
somebody else. If we come to Him in faith, He will speak His mysteries to
us personally. . . . Those who decide to do nothing in any line that will dis-
please God, will know, after presenting their case before Him, just what
course to pursue.Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 668, emphasis
supplied.
We may wish that the opportunity of Solomon might be ours. Or is his
experience recorded to spare us from going through the peril and humility
that he experienced? Why are we so sure that we would not make the same
mistakes?
It is not the empty cup that we have difficulty in carrying; it is the cup
full to the brim that must be carefully balanced.Ellen G. White,
Prophets and Kings, p. 59. This passage continues with assurance that in
the valley of humiliation, where every step we take is dependent on God,
there is comparative safety.
A class member with a personal experience on this subject might be
invited beforehand to share a brief testimony.
Invite a class member to close with prayer.
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FRIDAY January 12
Further Study: Ludwig Wittgenstein once said: The world of the
happy man is a different one from that of the unhappy man. Go to
Proverbs to get another view of Solomon in a different period of his
life. What differences in attitude do you see? How does this show why
a proper relationship with God is so important in how we view life as
a whole?
Solomon was not complaining of the ceaseless cycles of nature,
but saw in them a parallel to the cycles of human life (Eccl. 1:4). Is
mans life, from generation to generation, a mere matter of repetition,
with no more sublime object in view? Will there not be a climax to the
life of the human race? Does not God have an eternal purpose that will
eventually supersede this seemingly endless repetition of human
activity from generation to generation?
The scientific accuracy of the description here given of the motion
of air masses about the surface of the earth is unparalleled in ancient
literature and reveals an insight into the laws of nature greatly supe-
rior to that of most men in ancient times.The SDA Bible
Commentary, vol. 3, p. 1064.
In its human wisdom the world knows not God. Its wise men
gather an imperfect knowledge of God through his created works, and
then in their foolishness exalt nature and the laws of nature above
natures God. Nature is an open book which reveals God. All who are
attracted to nature may behold in it the God that created them. But
those who have not a knowledge of God, in their acceptance of the
revelation God has made of Himself in Christ, will obtain only an
imperfect knowledge of God in nature.Ellen G. White, Healthful
Living, p. 293.
Discussion Questions:
G As a class, spend some time in nature together and then dis-
cuss the following questions: What revelation of God do we get in
nature? What can nature tell us about God? What cant it tell us?
What wrong lessons can we draw from nature? What does all this
tell us about the importance of revelation for a fuller picture of
God?
G Why is it so easy to get cynical about life? Is a certain amount
of cynicism valuable? After all, this is a fallen world destined
to destruction. How do we strike the right balance so that, while
cautious about the world, we dont sink into the extreme negativ-
ity seen in the first chapter of Ecclesiastes?
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