This is a lesson I prepared for a Sunday School class series on Ecclesiastes in the Spring of 2025. The lessons are meant to be a mix of teaching and interactive discussion in the group. This is an outline of my presentation that guided the teaching and discussion. It was adapted from the Gospel-centered life in the Bible Series – Ecclesiastes: Life in the Light of Eternity.
View Ecclesiastes Lesson Series
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
Preacher (v. 1)
Ecclesiastes 1:1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Author
- The author is anonymous and simply calls himself the Preacher, “one that speaks to an assembly”; an ecclesiastes in Greek.
- Although there is debate on the authorship, Jewish and Christian tradition generally ascribe authorship to Solomon.
Purpose
- There are wide and varied interpretations of the book. Some see this as a statement of pessimism, while others see it as optimistic. Some see heterodoxy, while others see orthodoxy.
- As a genuine wisdom teacher, the Preacher has a gift for penetrating observation and for stating things in a profound and challenging manner that spur the listener on to deeper thought and reflection.
- This means that the Preacher invites us to come to God more indirectly than what we are used to. (Reference to Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon)
Key Themes of the Book
- The “vanity” of life. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)
- The tragic reality of the fall. (Romans 8:18-25)
- Sin and death (Genesis 2:15-17)
- The joy and frustration of work (Genesis 3:17-19)
- The grateful enjoyment of God’s good gifts. (Ecclesiastes 3:12–13)
- The fear of God (Psalm 18:2)
Our Deep Longings That Are Addressed in This Passage:
- Desire to not leave this world.
- Desire to have a lasting impact on the world.
- Desire to see our work not come undone.
- Desire to have fully satisfying experiences.
- Desire to enjoy the new and the novel.
- Desire to be remembered after we are gone.
Vanity (v.2)
Ecclesiastes 1:2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
- Vanity (hebel), also “meaningless” or “futility”
- Something that will vanish.
- Something that is all in vain.
- Hebrew is best translated as, mist, breath, or vapor.
- Psalm 39:4-5
- Psalm 144:4
- “All is vanity” is based on careful observations, scientific study, that all the world is never enough to satisfy because we keep wanting more.
- The Preacher wants to topple the false hopes of your heart, by admitting the wispy futility of our dreams for:
- success
- prosperity
- pleasure
- recognition
- legacy
- self-sufficiency
- religious achievement
- The idea of vanity is not that life is pointless, devoid of purpose and meaning. It’s that most of life, especially our lives as human creatures in the world, has a morning mist-like quality.
- In the context of world history, all that has come before and all that will come after, we are no more long lasting than a mist or the dew of the ground.
- Draw line on the board with a small dot missing for perspective
Question (v.3)
Ecclesiastes 1:3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
- To help us begin to think about this, the Preacher asks a single question. (v.3)
- The word “gain” carries with it the idea of a surplus, something left over at the end.
- It refers to our innate desire to leave a legacy with our life.
- The Preacher is nor saying toil and effort are worthless, he is making us take notice of what is true about every sinful human being – we want too much for ourselves from our labors.
- We want to be like God by knowing it all and having it all. (Genesis)
- Genesis 3:4–5 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (ESV)
What is the Chief End of Man?
To glorify God and enjoy him forever.
- Jesus walked among us “under the sun” with the light of eternity as his guide.
- We have no hope outside of him, but we have all hope in him.
- It’s about how to get wise for life, as we learn to look at life from a different angle.
- If we really believe that we will die, and accept that coming reality, then we can learn how to live.
“There is always something beautiful in finding a gift where we only thought to find tragedy.”