Ecclesiastes 1:12–18 “Obedience is the Answer”

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:      

• Be Still – Hillsong Worship
• Trust In God (feat. Chris Brown) – Elevation Worship
• I Surrender All – Reawaken Hymns

Resources for Family Worship (with Children)

• The Fiery Furnace by Saddleback Kids – Lesson for Younger Kids
• What is obedience? CQ Kids – Lesson for Kids
• I Can Trust God | OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO | LifeKids – Song for Kids
• Trust God’s Word | Lyric & Dance Video – Song for Kids
• Let’s Trust In Jesus | True North VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth are located in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

From the phrase “son of David, king in Jerusalem” (v. 1), the reader naturally thinks of Solomon. “The Teacher” is a translation of Qoheleth. The Teacher repeats the word “meaningless” five times (v. 2). The Hebrew word hebel, translated as “meaningless,” means “breath,” “wind,” or “vapor.” It refers to something that appears to exist but has no substance, something one wants to grasp but cannot hold onto, or something that seems meaningful but turns out to be meaningless when grasped.

In verse 3, it is better to translate the phrase as “under the sun,” as in the Revised Version, rather than “in the world.” In Hebrew, the phrase is tahat ha-shemesh, and it appears twenty-nine times in Ecclesiastes. The expression “under the sun” symbolizes the limits of human existence. Within the limits of three-dimensional space and one-dimensional time, all labor and effort ultimately prove to be futile. No matter how hard humans try, the world always remains the same. Even as time passes and generations change, the world does not change (v. 4), and the cycles of the seasons and the phenomena of life repeat themselves indifferently (vv. 5–7).

That is why the Teacher says, “All things are wearisome” (v. 8). Humans and all living things strive to change the world, yet nothing truly changes (v. 9). There is nothing that can truly be called “new” (v. 10), because everything will surely be forgotten (v. 11).

Meditation:

What the Teacher confesses here is something that anyone who has honestly observed the visible world would acknowledge. The Teacher expresses it by saying, “what is lacking cannot be counted” (v. 15). This is a confession that within the realm of what is seen, there is no principle, no law, and no truth to be found. From his youth, he strove to gain wisdom and accomplished much, but later he realized that this wisdom did not always work. From the beginning, he had been searching for something that did not exist.

There is a joke that says philosophers are people who claim, “There is a mouse,” even though there is no mouse in a dark room, and theologians are people who shout, “I caught the mouse,” even though no such mouse exists. Here, the mouse is a metaphor for concepts such as meaning, fulfillment, and truth. Philosophers tell people to look for meaning in a meaningless life, and theologians claim they have found it. The Teacher says that he himself lived believing in such things. But he confesses that, in the end, he had been searching for something that did not exist. What he gained from all that effort was only vexation and worry.

The Teacher’s desire to understand all the principles of life and, based on them, to set the world right is admirable, but it was a dream that was impossible from the start. It is like a single piece on a game board, trying to understand the entire situation by observing the other pieces’ movements. It is like trying to grasp the whole game and then stepping forward to set it right on its own. A single piece cannot fully understand the board’s situation, nor can it overturn the game. In the same way, no matter how outstanding a human being may be, one cannot fully comprehend the principles of the world and human life. And no matter how great one’s power may be—political authority, wealth, or intellectual ability—one cannot set the world right.

Just as the movements of the pieces and the flow of the game are determined by the masters sitting across from each other, what happens “under the sun” takes place by the Almighty God who acts “above the sun.” Seen this way, the Teacher’s intention to understand the principles of the world and manage it was good, but it was a dangerous thought that placed him in the position of God.

Prayer:

Lord, at times we, too, like the Teacher, want to understand all the principles of the world and to manage it according to our own will. We realize that this was pride. We have come to know that what we truly need is to humble our hearts and obediently submit to Your will. Thank You. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: We don’t have to figure out everything in life—God asks us to trust Him and walk in obedience. Trying to control or fully understand life on our own leads to worry, but humility and obedience lead us closer to God.

• For Preschool-Elementary:
  • Have you ever tried to do something really hard by yourself? How did it feel? (Follow-up: Who helps you when things are hard?)
  • What do you think it means to trust God, even when we don’t understand what’s happening?
  • When you feel worried or confused, what is one simple thing you can say to God in prayer?
    
• Youth:
  • Why do you think people want to understand or control everything in their lives? (School pressure, future plans, friendships, family expectations)
  • The devotional says trying to control life can lead to worry. Where do you see that happening in your own life?
  • What might obedience to God look like for you right now—even if the future feels unclear?