Unhappy Business and Striving after Wind (Ecc 1:12-15)

UNHAPPY BUSINESS AND STRIVING AFTER WIND (Ecc 1:12-15):

After general and personal observations, the author explains the things related to it in accordance with his own experience or exposure. In order to explain things, the author again introduces himself as the Preacher and King over Israel in Jerusalem. He does it, in order to help the readers realize that he is not just explaining things out of just emotions but after careful thinking and feeling. As a King, the author is exposed to all the knowledge, wealth, talents, wisdom and condition of human beings as well as the natural happenings around. There couldn’t be anything general that could be out of his eyes and the king enjoys all the privileges that are under his authority.

The author says that he had applied his heart to seek out things genuinely from whatever is known and experienced by him. Also, the author searched everything out of his wisdom that is done under heaven. The natural essence and urge of the genuine application from the heart, and analyzing out things from the mind through the wisdom is shown by the author. The author, being the king and having exposed and experienced many things under his kingdom, would surely have a great deal of Knowledge and Wisdom. And he didn’t think much about using all he had but just openly sought with his heart, what would be pleasing to him. And by the wisdom he had to govern, rule and manage, the author searched out things that are happening in the whole face of the earth. As understood by the author, everything was seen as an unhappy business that God had given to the children of man to be busy with. The author had all that is considered worthy and immeasurable in the sight of people, but the author couldn’t find himself satisfied with what the majority of the people enjoy doing. Most of the time, men do something for preserving their social stigma or out of necessity to live. Though man chooses the things, the author is humble enough to say that the knowledge of God persists in everything. In other words, God had given privileges and responsibilities for every human as he is created in his image. When there is no relationship with God, the privileges and responsibilities will be misunderstood or not understood.

And the author again relates the things that he had said previously with repetition that he had seen everything that is done under the sun and all seem to be vanity and striving after wind. According to the author, the cycles happen again and again and all things are full of weariness. There is no remembrance of things, and all are an unhappy business. Every activity that is happening in the earth is meaningless and the life of human beings has an end and they strive after something like a wind that flows in different directions and unpredictable. Also, the author expresses that what is crooked cannot be made straight which is very true. There are certain things that as human beings, we continually fail to make upright without external support, which is from God. And also there are certain gaps in every field of Science, Art and Philosophy which produces incompleteness and the author say that what is lacking cannot be counted. There are certain things that God alone could furnish, nurture and nourish by straightening and filling.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.    What the author introduces himself about? Why he does it again?

2.    What does the author do about all that is done under heaven?

3.    What is the feeling of author about all that is done under heaven?

4.    Why everything could be an unhappy business that God had given men to be busy?

5.    Why the author mentions everything as vanity and striving after wind?

6.    What does the author say about ‘crooked’ and ‘lacking’?

7.    Why crooked can’t be straightened and lacking cannot be counted?

8.    How unhappy business could be made happy and vanity could be converted to meaningfulness?