“What Ecclesiastes says in this passage about the vanity of life is true, but it is not the whole story. It is part of the Old Testament witness that prepares the way for Jesus by impressing upon us that a life that ends in death is ultimately futile and meaningless. The only answer to that dilemma is a life that does not end in death – a life that is eternal. And that is why Jesus came and that is why the other side of the truth that Ecclesiastes focuses on is that it is possible to escape the meaninglessness of life under the sun by a life that lasts forever.”

— Rev. Jerry Hamstra