Week 17: Ecclesiastes

Bible Journey 17: Ecclesiastes

Pre-understandings

• Wisdom Literature—the best and brightest of Israel’s thinkers
• Work of Solomon—the wisest man ever to live (1 Kings 3:12)
• One work consisting of several free-standing pieces—it all holds together with unity gathered around the question of the meaning of life
• Directionally speaking, Ecclesiastes focuses on the horizontal, but only makes sense in light of the vertical

Vanity of Vanities

• Ecclesiastes is a book that demands to be read in its entirety—it doesn’t come together until the end
• Though an ancient work, Ecclesiastes shows that people haven’t changed
• The more I have—the more I want
• Nostalgia is a cruel task-master (the good old days weren’t as good as all that)

Turn, Turn, Turn . . .

• Chapter 3’s seven-stanza poem offering a statement on futility
• Celebrated as one of the greatest literary works within the Bible
• It stands as the backdrop against which God gives meaning to life

Two are Better Than One

• 4:9-12 poem extolling the value of a true friend
• The closing line of verse 12 is God’s offer to sustain us even when the two are spent

The trouble with dying . . .

• The trouble with dying is . . .  your dead
• You can’t take it with you so you have to leave it all to a bunch of ingrates
• You won’t be remembered no matter how much good you do.  You don’t remember anyone who has passed, do you?

Ecclesiastes 12:13
Here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man.

The whole work of Ecclesiastes only makes sense when you come to the end of the matter.  Paul put it this way “If it is in this life only that we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”  (1 Cor. 15:19)

The good news is that our hope in Christ is both in this life and the life to come!

The message of Proverbs is “Live life on God’s terms and you’ll know the smile of God.”