Short, Elusive, and No Gain

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 confronts us with the prospect that our time in this life and whatever we gain in it by all our hard work will soon end. As the Preacher develops this theme in the Book of Ecclesiastes through a series of explorations of life as it is, he points beyond ourselves to the One whose ways alone endure forever.

1. Theme: Everything in this life is
   utterly temporary (1:2)

2. Question: What benefit is there to
   all this life's labor? (1:3)

3. Answer: Nothing lasting (1:4-11)