Ecclesiastes 12:8 Commentary and Bible Study

This brings his sermon to its conclusion. Having proved his thesis, he now restates it. He returns to the theme of the whole book, showing that he has never left this far behind in any of his many arguments; from beginning to end this book is an appeal to the unconverted. He opens his address as the Preacher and now he ends it with the same title. Though he was a king on earth, yet far more exalted was the title of Preacher, one who conveyed the truth of God to all the people, and not only so but one who spoke from personal experience of the emptiness of this world and the disappointment that comes to all those who search for ultimate satisfaction in its pleasures. He has searched the world for anything that could break the mould and has considered a great number of human experiences but not one thing that men do, not one state of man, not one stage in his passing through this world is free from this limitation: all is vanity and subject to the same fallen limitations. Vanity is the law that governs the cycles of life, the labour of man, the gaining of wisdom, the pursuit of pleasure through food and drink, feasting and celebration, the appreciation of music and culture, the building of houses and gardens, the possession of servants and power, the accumulation of riches, the enjoyment of wealth and riches which we already have, the indulgence of sensual pleasures, experimentation with folly and madness, the attempt to set man above the animals, the search for justice on earth, the acquiring of skills, all attempts to gain lasting reputation, man-made religious duty and the worship of the wicked, the producing of many children, the wandering of man’s desire, the hankering after better days in the past, the effort to try to make sense out of God’s providence in the world and out of God’s work, all search for human righteousness, the idea that we can escape death, all endeavours to exceed others, the words of man’s mouth, youth, old age, death and other things besides.