Logan Abraham

I invite you to open a Bible to Ecclesiastes and to read the first chapter on your own, taking a moment to reflect on the text in silence.

Ecclesiastes 1 introduces two important pieces of context for the rest of the book: the identity of the author and the category “under the sun.” While the actual authorship of the book is debated in academic circles, tradition has attributed it to King Solomon. It is useful to read the book with him in mind, as he represents the worldly peak of wisdom, wealth, and sensuality. The claims of vanity made throughout the book are made by someone that has truly exhausted each road, preventing the reader from responding with the argument that the author had not yet found satisfaction in them because there was still more to experience. When the author describes something as vanity, the reader can rest knowing that ultimately, regardless of amount or quality, it is vanity. “Under the sun” is a phrase used throughout the book to reference everything that is of this world as opposed to being of God. Human will, work, the wind, etc. are impermanent and in themselves as temporary as vapor. Much of the book is spent discussing the various things under the sun that people attempt to derive meaning from, but the intent in revealing them as hollow is not to strip the reader’s life of motivation or joy; it is to remove stumbling blocks preventing us from seeing the more loving, more perfect, and more complete meaning that is in God.

Within the poetic language of this chapter, verse 8 is perhaps the most easily understood in the modern context because so many people experience its emptiness directly every day. Whether it’s YouTube, TikTok, news sites, or cable television, the common sentiment around modern media consumption is that it takes too much of our time without providing value. It is almost impossible to moderate oneself, however, because this kind of entertainment is more immediate than on a walk outside in the park. The refrain of “one more video” keeps eyes and ears bound to the internet and thus away from more meaningful pursuits. This power of distraction can be seen in everything under the sun.

Returning to the chapter’s opening, the author begins with “vanity of vanities”. This type of duplication is often present in Hebrew as a method of communicating emphasis or magnitude. The vanity of vanities is the vainest of the things that are already vain. The ultimate vanity, according to Ecclesiastes, is to attempt to find meaning in this world without looking to God. The seemingly gloomy book works in alignment with the rest of scripture by chiefly arguing against this world so that the reader is led to God while other scripture points to God more directly.

As you work through this week, look for moments of distraction or mindless entertainment, and examine their value. Not all time spent online is wasted, so practice discernment between time spent in relaxation and time lost in vanity. As we live under the sun, we can keep watch for gifts from above even while caught up in distraction.