“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.  No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.
— Ecclesiastes 1:2-11

A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
— Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

~~~~~

Biblical Nihilism
By Jennifer Kane

Vanity of vanities, all is a mist,
a vapor dissolving, too frail to be grasped.
Generations come, generations go,
yet the earth remains, circling slow.

The sun rises, the sun sets,
its weary march repeats again.
The rivers run, yet the sea is not filled,
the eye is never satisfied, the ear never stilled.

What has been is what shall be,
the wheel turns, and forgets me.
No remembrance for the former things,
names fade like dust on silent wings.

I chased wisdom, I gathered toil,
I sowed my sweat into the soil.
Yet all I gained was smoke and air,
emptiness met me everywhere.

Still—beneath the weight of futility,
a whisper breaks the vanity:
“To eat, to drink, to find delight,
these are gifts, not of man’s might.

For apart from God, who can eat,
who can taste joy, who can be complete?”
To the one who pleases, He gives the wise heart,
but to the sinner, He grants the futile part—

gathering, heaping, chasing the wind,
only to yield it, in the end.
So I rest my hands, I cease my run,
I take the day’s bread in the light of the sun.

For vanity wraps the world in a shroud,
yet the Giver of breath speaks clear and loud:
“Life is but vapor, a fleeting span—
but every breath is Mine,
and rests in My hand.”

~~~~~

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:2-11, Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

Have you ever felt a deep sense of emptiness after achieving a long-sought goal? Have you looked at the endless cycle of news, work, and daily routines and wondered, “Is this all there is?” If so, you are not alone. You are, in fact, in good company with an ancient Israelite king and a philosophy that defines our modern age: nihilism—the belief that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value.

Today, we’ll explore this feeling through the brutally honest words of Ecclesiastes and discover the surprising hope that lies on the other side.

The Teacher’s diagnosis is stark: “Everything is meaningless.” The Hebrew word he uses, “hevel,” literally means “vapor” or “breath.” It’s not that things don’t exist; it’s that they are fleeting, insubstantial, and impossible to grasp hold of for long.

He runs the experiment for us. He pursues wisdom, pleasure, grand projects, and wealth—everything we are told will bring fulfillment. His conclusion? It’s all “a chasing after the wind.” This is biblical nihilism: the honest acknowledgment that under the sun (a key phrase meaning life viewed from a purely human, earthly perspective, excluding God), nothing ultimately satisfies or lasts.

· We strive, but then we die, and the world forgets us.
· We build, but someone else inherits it.
· We discover, but it’s never truly new; the cycle just repeats.

This is the logical end of a life lived without eternity in its heart. If this world is all there is, then the Teacher is right. Everything is hevel.

But then, in chapter 2, we get a crucial turn. It’s not a rejection of his conclusion, but a radical reframing of it. He doesn’t say, “I was wrong, things aren’t meaningless.” Instead, he says, “Since everything is meaningless on its own, here is what to do: ‘Eat, drink, and find satisfaction in your toil… for this is from the hand of God.’”

This is the divine antidote to nihilism. The meaninglessness of life “under the sun” is transformed when we introduce the reality of God “above the sun.”

The simple pleasures of a meal, the warmth of friendship, the satisfaction of a job well done—these are not meaningless distractions. They are gifts. They become sacred moments of joy when we receive them with gratitude from the hand of a good Giver. The meaning doesn’t come from the activity itself, but from the relational context: a beloved child receiving a gift from a loving Father.

It’s okay to feel the emptiness of life’s cycles. Don’t suppress it. Like the Teacher, stare into it and understand it. This honesty is the first step toward true faith.

The next time you experience a moment of pure joy—a beautiful sunset, laughter with friends, a quiet moment of peace—pause. Instead of clinging to the moment itself (which will fade), use it as a signpost to look toward the God who gave it. Thank Him for it.

Nihilism asks, “What is the meaning of life?” and finds no answer. The Gospel asks, “Who is the giver of life?” and finds God. Shift your focus from the search for abstract meaning to a relationship with the concrete source of all meaning.

~~~~~

Heavenly Father, Thank you for the brutal honesty of your Word. It meets us in our deepest doubts and fears. I confess that I often chase after wind, looking for meaning in accomplishments, possessions, and experiences, only to be left feeling empty. Forgive me for trying to find purpose under the sun, while ignoring you, the One who created the sun. Open our eyes to see your gifts everywhere. Help us to receive our daily bread, our work, and our joys as blessings from your hand. Anchor our souls in the eternal reality of your love, so that we may live meaningful lives of gratitude and purpose, even in a fleeting world. It is in the name of Jesus, in whom all things hold together and have meaning, that we pray. Amen.

September 16, 2025