Word Up Ministries

History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.

Ecclesiastes 1:9

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 1:2 (ESV)

A Hebrew idiom meaning life on earth, especially life from a purely human, earthly perspective.
It excludes God’s eternal, heavenly view—it’s life as seen from the ground up, not from heaven down.
Represents a limited viewpoint—what can be observed with the eyes, felt with the senses, and reasoned by human wisdom.
Futility of Work – Ecclesiastes 2:11
Hard work brings no lasting satisfaction if viewed apart from God.
Cycles and Repetition – Ecclesiastes 1:9
History seems to repeat; life feels like a treadmill without lasting progress.
Injustice and Death – Ecclesiastes 3:16, Ecclesiastes 9:3
Under the sun, the righteous suffer, and everyone dies, whether wise or foolish.
Life seems unfair and short when viewed purely from an earthly standpoint.
He’s showing the emptiness of life without God.
“Under the sun” acts as a foil to point us toward what is above the sun—God’s eternal perspective.
“Here’s what life looks like without God—do you want more than that?”
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Are you living only ‘under the sun’?
Pursuing success, pleasure, or wisdom apart from God will ultimately feel empty.
God invites us to see life from above the sun—from His perspective.
In Christ, we are given eternal meaning, purpose, and joy beyond what the world offers.
Colossians 3:1–2 – “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”