Life Is More Than What's Under the Sun: Why Ecclesiastes Might Be the Most Relevant Book in Your Bible

Meta Description: Solomon had it all — wisdom, wealth, women — and called it all meaningless. His ancient diary holds a message we desperately need today. URL Slug: life-meaningless-without-god-ecclesiastes Featured Image: A lone figure standing at the edge of a city overlook at dusk — lights of the city below, open sky above — conveying the contrast between earthly perspective and something greater.

What if the wisest, wealthiest man who ever lived tried everything you're chasing — and left a written record of how it all turned out?

That's exactly what we have in the book of Ecclesiastes. And this past Sunday, I began what I believe will be one of the most important studies our church has undertaken together. I want to invite you into it — whether you were in the room or not.

The Autobiography of a Wise Man Who Played the Fool

Solomon was the son of David, king in Jerusalem, and the wisest man who ever lived. Early in his reign, God essentially handed him a blank check — "Ask for whatever you will" — and Solomon asked for wisdom. God was so pleased with that request that He threw in riches and honor for free.

And yet, Ecclesiastes is not a victory lap. It's a memoir. It's Solomon's honest diary of everything he tried to make himself happy — and how none of it worked. I've heard it said that Ecclesiastes is the sad sequel to Proverbs. Proverbs teaches us how to live wisely. Ecclesiastes is the lament of a man who knew better and didn't do it.

He had wisdom beyond measure. He built the temple of God in Jerusalem. He accumulated wealth so staggering that when the Queen of Sheba traveled the world to meet him, she left saying the half had never been told. He had wine, work, and — by his own account — 700 wives and 300 concubines.

And he called all of it vanity.

What "Vanity" Actually Means

The word vanity in Ecclesiastes isn't about pride or selfies. The Hebrew word is habel — it means breath or vapor. Something nonsubstantial. Elusive. Gone in a moment.

Solomon doesn't say some things are vanity. He says vanity of vanities — a superlative, like "holy of holies" or "king of kings." He means life is utterly futile, completely absurd, absolutely meaningless — apart from God.

He uses another phrase ten times throughout the book: chasing after the wind. You know that feeling. You worked to get the car, and it depreciated the moment you drove it off the lot. You worked to get the house, and now the house needs more work. It's elusive. It's transitory. It's vanity.

And before you think Solomon is just a pessimist — he's not. He's a realist. Romans 8:20 tells us that all of creation has been subjected to futility because of sin. This is real life in a fallen world. Solomon is just honest enough to say so.

The Question That Cuts to the Heart

In Ecclesiastes 1:3, Solomon asks: "What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?"

That phrase — under the sun — appears 29 times in Ecclesiastes. It's the key to the whole book. Solomon is describing life lived at pavement level. Life viewed only through what you can see, touch, feel, and accumulate.

I remember flying into Los Angeles late one night after preaching in Ohio. Looking out the plane window, the city lights were breathtaking — absolutely beautiful. Then we landed, and driving through the streets, I saw the destruction left by the Rodney King riots. Same city. Completely different perspective.

That's what Solomon is getting at. There are two ways to view life. There is vanity if you live under the sun. There is victory if you live in the Son.

As Jesus himself asked in Matthew 16:26: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?"

The Rest of the Story Solomon Didn't Know

Here's what I love about studying Ecclesiastes as a New Testament believer. Through what theologians call progressive revelation, we know the rest of the story that Solomon could only glimpse.

A virgin gave birth to a Son. He lived a righteous life without spot or blemish. He died on a cross for your sins and mine. They buried him — and on the third day, God raised him from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. And one day, he's coming back.

Because of that, 1 Corinthians 15:58 says: "Be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

Life is not meaningless. Life is not empty. Not when Jesus is alive.

Gloria Gaither once wrote — while pregnant and uncertain about bringing a child into a world filled with war, political turmoil, and division — a song that has carried generations of believers: "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know who holds the future — and life is worth the living just because He lives."

I don't know what you're carrying into this week. But I want to tell you: hang in there. Life is worth living because He lives.

The Message of Ecclesiastes in One Line

We're going to spend the next couple of months in this ancient, honest, sometimes uncomfortable book. And the message that will ring through every chapter is this:

Life is meaningless — without God.

But the flip side is equally true: if God is on your side, all is well. You may be in the middle of a storm. But if the Captain of the sea is on the ship, all is well.

I hope you'll join us for this journey through Ecclesiastes. Watch the full message if you missed Sunday, and come back next week as we continue going deeper into this remarkable book together. And if you want to dig into God's Word with others, I'd love for you to join us at our midweek Bible study — Tuesday and Wednesday on both campuses. That's where this kind of teaching goes from the head to the heart in community.

All is well, Shiloh. All is well.

Social Media Excerpt (Facebook/Instagram): Solomon had 700 wives, unlimited wealth, and more wisdom than anyone who ever lived — and he called it all vanity. His ancient diary holds a message we desperately need today: life is meaningless without God. But there's a flip side. Read this week's blog post and find out why life is absolutely worth living. 🔗 Link in bio.

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