1:1 The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
Solomon was the author of this book. When he first became king, he asked God for political wisdom. He should have asked for spiritual discernment.
1:2 “Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher, “Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”
After living a life as the wisest, wealthiest, and most powerful political king in existence, Solomon found out that his life was full of emptiness. He was unfulfilled. All the wisdom, power, strength, wealth, and sex did not fulfill him. These things will not fulfill any man.
1:3 What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth?
Many workaholics make their job their god. If so, they are living an empty life. God did not engineer man to find enjoyment in a job or a career.
1:4 A generation comes and a generation goes, but the earth remains the same through the ages.
As one generation dies, they are forgotten quickly. Man does not change. He is still a dirty, rotten sinner who hates God and loves the world.
1:5 The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries away to a place from which it rises again.
Many skeptics like to make this a bible error. However, Solomon was not speaking scientifically. He was simply stating that man watches the sun rise and set many times during his short life.
1:6 The wind goes to the south and circles around to the north; round and round the wind goes and on its rounds it returns.
Solomon mentioned the world’s great wind circuits in the global circulation of the atmosphere centuries before modern scientists discovered this fact of nature.
1:7 All the streams flow into the sea, but the sea is not full, and to the place where the streams flow, there they will flow again.
Solomon mentioned the earth’s amazing hydrologic cycle centuries before modern scientists discovered this fact of nature.
1:8 All this monotony is tiresome; no one can bear to describe it: The eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear ever content with hearing.
A man without strong bible doctrine will become bored with life. Deep Bible study is never boring, because it will take an eternity to learn everything about God.
1:9 What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth.
Solomon mastered many different arts and sciences. However, he discovered that there was nothing new under the sun.
1:10 Is there anything about which someone can say, “Look at this! It is new!”? It was already done long ago, before our time.
It is very possible that the pre-flood world was even more advanced than today’s modern world. However, the flood was so destructive, that it wiped away most of the evidence. Sometimes. archaeologists will find glimpses of advanced ancient technology.
1:11 No one remembers the former events, nor will anyone remember the events that are yet to happen; they will not be remembered by the future generations.
The past is forgotten very quickly. Who won the Superbowl ten years ago? Who was President 150 years ago? Who were the top movie stars fifty years ago?
1:12 I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
During this time period, Solomon was the king over the most powerful nation in the world. Kings from all of the other nations came to visit Solomon and learn from him. It is interesting to note that Greek’s golden age did not begin until after Greek kings visited Solomon. All of the Greek architecture, science, math, literature, and arts may have come from the influence of Solomon.
1:13 I decided to carefully and thoroughly examine all that has been accomplished on earth. I concluded: God has given people a burdensome task that keeps them occupied.
Solomon studied and mastered many different arts and sciences. He had a Ph.D. in several subjects. There are so many things to learn from God that it will keep people occupied for eternity.
1:14 I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile—like chasing the wind!
Solomon had the greatest wealth, the greatest wisdom, the greatest power, the greatest sensual pleasures, and the greatest comforts, but he found it all to be emptiness.
1:15 What is bent cannot be straightened, and what is missing cannot be supplied.
Man is totally depraved and evil. He is crooked in his thinking and in his action. He cannot be straightened out, unless the Holy Spirit regenerates him and fills him with Bible doctrine. Instead, the secular education system fills up man’s soul (intellect) with secular humanism. Secular humanism is the same as Satanism. It is living a life as if there is no God.
1:16 I thought to myself, “I have become much wiser than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem; I have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.”
“Knowledge puffs up,” and Solomon became arrogant. Many intellectuals become arrogant in their knowledge. They begin to think that they are smarter than God. Anytime that a person elevates his human speculation or human opinion over the written Word of God, then they become arrogant. If God does not step in and humble them, then God will allow their arrogance to lead them astray.
Many carnal Christians like to use this verse against mature Christians who have deeply studied bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God. Carnal Christians are more concerned about doing their own will rather than doing the will of God, so they will often reject the teachings of more mature Christians. They will find themselves in the wrong church, praying for the wrong things, and studying the wrong things. The knowledge (gnosis) that puffs up is the knowledge gained from the satanic world system. The knowledge (epignosis) from studying and learning Bible doctrine makes one humble.
1:17 So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind!
Modern man thinks that he is very smart, but he is actually a fool. Atheists, agnostics, evolutionists, skeptics, secular humanists, liberals, cults, and isms often elevate their human opinion above that of the Word of God. This is foolish, but they deceive themselves into thinking that they are smarter than everyone else.
If a man has too much Bible doctrine, then the satanic world system will see him as a fool who is wasting his life away. If a man is devoid of Bible doctrine, then the satanic world system will see him as a genius and elect him into high positions.
It is foolish to chase the wind. No one can see it or catch it. Attempting to master the things of the satanic world system is like chasing the wind. Only fools would attempt it.
1:18 for with great wisdom comes great frustration; whoever increases his knowledge merely increases his heartache.
The more wisdom that one learns from the satanic world system, the more problems that one increases for himself. It causes one to become arrogant. The arrogant man becomes deceived. The arrogant man begins to elevate his human opinion above the Word of God.
Secular humanists are building upon a false foundation of humanism and pantheism. They have made technology their new god. Technology increases pollution, enslaves men, increases harmful addictions, and creates weapons of mass destruction. Technology is the god of many Americans today.