In 1993, Bill Murry starred in Groundhog Day. This was a movie that had Bill Murray, a disgruntled, underappreciated weatherman, stuck going to Punxsutawney, PA for the annual Groundhog Day observance of seeing if Punxsutawney Phil, the latest in the long line of such named groundhogs would see his shadow. While there, Murray’s character is caught in a time loop in which he must live the same day over and over. He wakes up at the same time each day only to find that it is February second once again. Murray goes through the normal progression of events you would expect of someone who realizes there are no consequences for his actions. He seeks pleasure, sex, money, achievement, and romance. He ends up even taking his own life only to wake up the next day to have to do it all over again.
King Solomon described a life lived somewhat similarly to Bill Murray in this movie. Although Solomon did not take his own life, and he lived each new day and not the same one over and over, he described life “under the sun” as a repetitive drudgery in which one cannot find completion.
In the first eleven verses of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, the smartest person to ever live, introduced life “under the sun” and the futility of it all.
“The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” What advantage does man have in all his work Which he does under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever. Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; And hastening to its place it rises there again. Blowing toward the south, Then turning toward the north, The wind continues swirling along; And on its circular courses the wind returns. All the rivers flow into the sea, Yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, There they flow again. All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, “See this, it is new”? Already it has existed for ages Which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things; And also of the later things which will occur, There will be for them no remembrance Among those who will come later still.” (Ecclesiastes 1:1–11, NASB95)
Notice that Solomon started by saying that living life only “under the sun” or with purely an earthly perspective, was vanity of vanities. This was a way of saying, “the ultimate futility.”
Solomon goes on to say there is no advantage or profit to living life only “under the sun.” The word advantage is also translated as profit. This means that one tries to accumulate all they can throughout life, but it all comes to naught. Like the old saying, “I have never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul,” or, “You can’t take it with you,” Solomon was saying that if you live for, invest in, focus on, and only consider this life, there will be nothing for you in the end. He uses the sunrise/sunset cycle, the wind, and the water system of the world as examples of the cyclical nature of thinking one can profit from only thinking of this world.
He next ways that everything is wearisome. This is a way of saying that the whole situation wears a person out when they try to control it. There is no control. There is no way to yell, “Stop this train! I want off!” when it comes to this world and the struggle and life to be lived. He uses examples of eyes never having enough of seeing and ears never having enough of hearing and the fact that there is nothing new “under the sun.” When we focus on this life, there is not control. We cannot make one thing happen apart from the work of God in our lives and around us.
Lastly, Solomon says if we live life “under the sun”, there will be no remembrance of what we have done or what has gone one before us or of us when others come after us. If we live life “under the sun” we are living for something that will quickly disappear and be forgotten.
Having drawn such a dire picture as a warning, let us quickly consider the following realities of living life “above the sun,” or with a heavenly perspective.
When we give our life to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we are elevated in our thinking and allegiances to live life “above the sun.” This means that we gain what we cannot lose. Jim Elliot, on whom the movie, The End of the Spear, was based, said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jesus said no man could pluck us out of the Father’s hand.
Life “above the sun” also means that we serve the One Who is in control of all. Jesus said that a sparrow does not fall to the ground but that the Father knows it. (Matthew 10:29) Even though bad things happen all the time, which we know well right now, God is in control. When you live your life for Him and for His Kingdom, you are serving the winner!
Lastly, when you live your life “above the sun,” you are enabled to be a part of God’s Kingdom of which there will be no end, so there will be no need for a memorial because we will live forever with Him in His presence and we will worship with the angels and with those of every tribe, tongue, and nation before His throne and all that should matter will forever.
So…where are you living your life? “Under the sun,” or “above the sun?”