Old Testament II: Prophets & Poetry Week 4 Ecclesiastes & Song of Solomon

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1 Synopsis of Ecclesiastes The Hebrew title for this book is Qōhelet, which apparently meant the preacher s office, and then became a term for the preacher himself. It is derived from the root qāhal, meaning to convoke an assembly, hence, to address an assembly. The author of this work so refers to himself in numerous passages, and therefore this is a fitting designation. The Greek term ecclēsiastēs is a good translation of this term, for it too means preacher and is derived from ekklēsia, meaning assembly. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, Pg. 525 In Ecclesiastes, however, we find more somber material. If the book of Proverbs is about wisdom for people who want success, the book of Ecclesiastes offers wisdom for people who have success. Particularly, it is for individuals who have gotten what they wanted out of life, or at least what they thought they had wanted, and then have found it wanting. The Message of the Old Testament, Location Ecclesiastes can sound strangely contemporary to us. We may think that despair has merely come of age in our own day, now that we have grown out of our benighted state of imagining light where there is none, and into an enlightened state of seeing the darkness that is. But this book over two thousand years old, perhaps even three belies any notion that skepticism is modern. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun, not even skepticism. The Message of the Old Testament, Location Vanity of Vanities: The word hebel, translated meaninglessness in the NIV or vanity in the KJV, occurs thirtyfive times in this short book. It refers to something insubstantial and ephemeral, and therefore temporary and passing. Whatever the meaningless object is, it can be easily, quickly, and permanently whisked away, like smoke, a cloud, or a desert mirage, leaving behind no remainder. The Message of the Old Testament, Location Everything on earth goes through a meaningless cycle Ecclesiastes 1:1 9 (ESV) 1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. 3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? 4 A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. 7 All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. 8 All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 1

2 Having endless earthly possessions is meaningless Ecclesiastes 2:9 11 (ESV) 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. This is how the Teacher teaches us a lesson different from what Job does. Job learned about the vanity of this world by losing it all; the Teacher saw it by having it all. If you happen to have everything you could possibly ask for in any particular area of life, you know what I am talking about, whether it s friendships, work, wealth, or health. However wonderful these things may be, an ample supply of any of them never leaves you entirely satisfied. Something is always missing. The Message of the Old Testament, Location Everything on earth is temporal and will be forgotten Ecclesiastes 2:13 16 (ESV) 13 Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. 14 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. 15 Then I said in my heart, What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise? And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. 16 For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! Here we come to the real culprit behind meaninglessness. No person will be remembered, finally, because everyone dies. It isn t that the Teacher sees nothing good in wisdom. Wisdom is better than folly, he says. But he is frustrated by the fact that both the fool and the wise man come to the same end. They will both be forgotten because both will die. The Message of the Old Testament, Location Only one true path in life please God Ecclesiastes 2:26 (ESV) 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. By putting these two sets of sayings of the preacher together, the author shows that life is meaningless only to those who do not do the will of God. To the man who pleases God there is wisdom, knowledge and happiness. NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 357 FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 2

3 Even the crowds will turn on a popular leader Ecclesiastes 4:13 16 (ESV) 13 Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. 14 For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor. 15 I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that youth who was to stand in the king s place. 16 There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind. So, meaninglessness afflicts not only the obvious things, but the less obvious things like pleasure and popularity. The Teacher s skepticism revealingly questions and relentlessly exposes wrongly accepted nostrums like If it feels good, do it and If everyone says so, it must be best. Both statements are false. The Message of the Old Testament, Location One cannot determine from life s circumstances on earth whether one is righteous or wicked Ecclesiastes 8:14 15 (ESV) 14 There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. 15 And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun. This verse flies in the face of the health and wealth gospel. One cannot determine someone s righteousness or wickedness by their life s circumstances. Therefore, while on earth, a man should find joy where God has placed him and the work God has put before him. Under the Sun: And here we come to the key to understanding Ecclesiastes: the phrase under the sun. It occurs twenty-eight times in this short book, and it refers to life as viewed entirely from the perspective of this earth, a life considered apart from God. Such a truncated and circumscribed life, of course, is meaningless. All come from dust, and to dust all return (3:20). The Message of the Old Testament, Location Worldly wisdom does not put you in a better position than folly Ecclesiastes 1:12 14 (ESV) 12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 3

4 The vanity of knowing that someone else will probably squander your hard work Ecclesiastes 2:18 23 (ESV) 18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. Human wisdom, when viewed simply from the perspective of this life, appears to offer very little beyond those other ways that human beings have devised for themselves. NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 358 Chasing after riches will not bring fulfillment because you might never get a chance to enjoy them Ecclesiastes 6:1 6 (ESV) 1 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: 2 a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil. 3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. 4 For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. 5 Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. 6 Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good do not all go to the one place? All will die and there is no amount of earthly effort that will cause a different outcome Ecclesiastes 9:11 12 (ESV) 11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. 12 For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them. We will all die. It is the Teacher s loud ringing of this grim note that makes this book s important contribution. It is this note that we need to hear, lest we rest our hope in the wrong place. Perhaps more than anywhere else in Scripture except the cross of Christ Ecclesiastes presents the real effects of sin in our world. This book is a realistic book. The Message of the Old Testament, Location FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 4

5 Things Properly Ordered: Everything has its proper time Ecclesiastes 3:1 8 (ESV) 1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. You don t have to be a philosopher or a scientist to know that times and seasons are a regular part of life, no matter where you live. Were it not for the dependability of Godordained natural laws, both science and daily life would be chaotic, if not impossible. Not only are there times and seasons in this world, but there is also an overruling providence in our lives. From before our birth to the moment of our death, God is accomplishing His divine purposes, even though we may not always understand what He is doing. Be Satisfied, Pg. 19 Man has a longing for eternity that has been placed there by God Ecclesiastes 3:9 13 (ESV) 9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil this is God s gift to man. Humanity in and of itself, argued Canon Wright, was unable to put the pieces of the puzzle of life together secular or sacred. Yet people hunger to know how to make it all fit because they have a God-created vacuum as large as eternity, craving satisfaction in that being which is made in the image of God. The Promise-Plan of God, Location 3364 Instead, the wise man was the one who observed a divine plan and order established in things. Thus prosperity and blessing were not sought as ends in themselves, as if the wise man were arbitrarily making success a new idol. On the contrary, in accordance with God s pronouncement of good in Genesis 1, the wise approved work, things, and righteousness itself as good and self-vindicating. Diligence, obedience to the laws of God, and honest labor were rewarded; but neither the goal nor the motive was to be found in the blessing and reward itself. Every event in life was embraced in the plan of God. The Promise-Plan of God, Location 3471 FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 5

6 Life together is better than a solitary life Ecclesiastes 4:9 12 (ESV) 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Approach God with reverence Ecclesiastes 5:1 3 (ESV) 1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes with much business, and a fool s voice with many words. Trust in God for the final reckoning Ecclesiastes 8:10 13 (ESV) 10 Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. 11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God. Without an honest look at the curse of death and futility, we miss a key piece of the puzzle that no amount of feel-good optimism can adequately replace. Ecclesiastes is powerful exactly because it presents the tension and struggle between the Teacher s sense of futility and his very real faith in the God who is true, between the way things are and the way they ought to be. The Message of the Old Testament, Location Miscellaneous Proverbs: Ecclesiastes 5:10 12 (ESV) 10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? 12 Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. Ecclesiastes 10:20 (ESV) 20 Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 6

7 Ecclesiastes 11:3 (ESV) 3 If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. Summary of it All: These verses bring us to the ultimate message of this book: only with God do we have a clear and true perspective that gives meaning to life. That is the perspective we must have. The Message of the Old Testament, Location Ecclesiastes 12:1 8 (ESV) 1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, I have no pleasure in them ; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, 4 and the doors on the street are shut when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low 5 they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets 6 before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity. Ecclesiastes 12:9 14 (ESV) 9 Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 10 The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. Human wisdom has its limits. In the end, only God s commandments as they have been revealed in Scripture can find ultimate reward. NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 356 In light of a sovereign God to whom one submits in fear, however, wisdom is of far greater value than any other alternative way of life. In the last analysis, humankind will FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 7

8 be held accountable to God and will be rewarded for obedience to his will. NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 358 Takeaways from Ecclesiastes: Life from a purely a horizontal perspective, under the sun is vanity of vanities. Life properly ordered in a vertical relationship with God brings a proper perspective and understanding that life has a greater purpose than the endless cycles of the natural world around us. While bad things can happen to the righteous and good things can happen to the wicked during their time on earth, God will ultimately judge everyone s deeds. Synopsis Song of Solomon The Song of Songs is a song of love written during the Solomonic period. It is neither allegory, drama, hymn, history, nor ceremonial text. Rather, it is a song of love in two parts, the man s and the woman s, assisted by a chorus. Other representatives of the genre of love song are found from Egypt, ca b.c., and the Egyptian examples share many elements in common with the Song. The message is that the mutual pleasures of love are good and possible even in this fallen world. The Song is a testimony to the grace of God and a rejection of both asceticism and debauchery. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Pg. 380 It seems to me that it is best to understand Song of Songs as a song or collection of songs that are, well, basically human love poems. This seems like the natural and literal meaning of the text, doesn t it? Whereas other ways of reading this book turn it into something like an occult puzzle, with the true meaning hidden until someone gives us the key, much of the difficulty clears up when we simply read it as love poems The Message of the Old Testament, Location We might be embarrassed at least in a sermon by all the talk about breasts and kisses and embracing arms, but we understand it. Those things are clear enough. We know what they mean. And that is how I think we should read this book. Yes, there may still be imagery we have to interpret, but it s simply the imagery of any love poetry we might read. The Message of the Old Testament, Location Song of Solomon 1:1 4 (ESV) 1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon s. 2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine; 3 your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out; therefore virgins love you. 4 Draw me after you; let us run. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will exult and rejoice in you; we will extol your love more than wine; rightly do they love you. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 8

9 Today s culture constantly bombards us with gender-bending images that blur the objects of our desires while heightening our experience of them. In the name of advertising and entertainment, human bodies become commodities and people become products. Ironically, true romance and intimacy vanish in an age when everything becomes sensual. The Message of the Old Testament, Location Song of Solomon 1:8 10 (ESV) 8 If you do not know, O most beautiful among women, follow in the tracks of the flock, and pasture your young goats beside the shepherds tents. 9 I compare you, my love, to a mare among Pharaoh s chariots. 10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, your neck with strings of jewels. Song of Solomon 2:3 7 (ESV) 3 As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. With great delight I sat in his shadow, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. 4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. 5 Sustain me with raisins; refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love. 6 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me! 7 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. At the very beginning of the Song, Let him kiss me, we are already in the context of the couple s desire for love. All the images of gazelles, gardens, shepherds, and royal processions are meant to convey the pleasure, the natural joy, and the glory that this experience entails. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Pg. 431 Song of Solomon 4:1 16 (ESV) 1 Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. 2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one among them has lost its young. 3 Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your mouth is lovely. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil. 4 Your neck is like the tower of David, built in rows of stone; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors. 5 Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, that graze among the lilies. 6 Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, I will go away to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. 7 You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you. 8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the peak of Amana, from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards. 9 You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. 10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice! 11 Your lips drip nectar, my bride; honey and milk are under your tongue; the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. 12 A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a spring locked, a fountain sealed. 13 Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates with all choicest fruits, henna with nard, 14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all choice spices 15 a FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 9

10 garden fountain, a well of living water, and flowing streams from Lebanon. 16 Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow. Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat its choicest fruits. Yet setting the distortions and perversions aside, we do see in the Scriptures that the longing for physical intimacy is God-given and good. The Message of the Old Testament, Location Song of Solomon 5:10 16 (ESV) 10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand. 11 His head is the finest gold; his locks are wavy, black as a raven. 12 His eyes are like doves beside streams of water, bathed in milk, sitting beside a full pool. 13 His cheeks are like beds of spices, mounds of sweet-smelling herbs. His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh. 14 His arms are rods of gold, set with jewels. His body is polished ivory, bedecked with sapphires. 15 His legs are alabaster columns, set on bases of gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars. 16 His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. Song of Solomon 7:10 13 (ESV) 10 I am my beloved s, and his desire is for me. 11 Come, my beloved, let us go out into the fields and lodge in the villages; 12 let us go out early to the vineyards and see whether the vines have budded, whether the grape blossoms have opened and the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my love. 13 The mandrakes give forth fragrance, and beside our doors are all choice fruits, new as well as old, which I have laid up for you, O my beloved. God intends for two married lovers to enjoy both the physical pleasure and the relational pleasure of their love. And through the physical love in marriage God gives us a deepened relationship. The Message of the Old Testament, Location Song of Solomon 8:6 7 (ESV) 6 Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. 7 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised. Yet we must understand that Christianity is not a religion that says the physical is bad and the spiritual is good. We are not Gnostics. We do not assume that everything having to do with our flesh is evil, and that good can be found only in the immaterial and invisible. Christians should be careful, therefore, not to give the impression that our main message about human sexual desires and longings is negative. We have a positive message! That s why it is good to read Song of Songs in church every once in a while. It helps us to remember that we have a positive message about sex. The Message of the Old Testament, Location FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 10

11 Takeaways from Song of Solomon: While the book should be taken literally as a romantic relationship between a husband and a wife, the picture of marriage exists between Christ and His Church. Therefore, the intimacy of the marriage relationship is a picture of the intimacy between Christ and His Church. Song of Solomon shows us that romance in a marriage is biblical. Therefore, it is important to cultivate that romance to properly honor God. The health of our marriages is possible through the power of the gospel and a tool for showing a lost world how romance in a marriage should be biblically lived out. Works Cited Archer, Gleason Leonard. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 3rd. ed. Chicago: Moody Press, Dever, Mark. The Message of the Old Testament: Promises Made. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, ESV Study Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, Garrett, Duane A. vol. 14, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, Sailhamer, John. NIV Compact Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Satisfied. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 11

12 Appendix A Outline of Ecclesiastes I. First discourse: the vanity of human wisdom, 1:1 2:26 A. Basic theme: vanity of all merely human effort and experience, 1:1 3 B. Demonstration of the theme, 1:4 2:26 1. Meaningless cycle of human life and history, 1: Ultimate uselessness of human wisdom and philosophy, 1: Emptiness of the enjoyments of pleasure and wealth, 2: Ultimate death of even the wise, 2: Futility of leaving fruits of hard work to undeserving heirs, 2: Necessity of contentment with God s providences, 2:24 26 II. Second discourse: coming to terms with the laws which govern life, 3:1 5:20 A. The prudent attitude in view of the facts of life and death, 3: A proper time must be recognized for each activity and experience, 3: God is the only guarantor of abiding values, 3: God will punish the unrighteous, visiting death upon all, 3: Man must share physical death with animals, 3: Unsure of the life beyond, man must make the best of this present life, 3:21 22 B. The disappointments of earthly life, 4: Cruelty and misery make life a dubious blessing, 4: Disadvantages are cited for materialistic success, laziness, and insatiable covetousness, 4: Life s trials are better faced by partners than alone, 4: Political success is temporary and unstable, 4:13 16 C. Futility of the self-seeking life, 5: Presenting to God false sacrifices, vain words, unkept promises is folly, 5: Retribution overtakes oppressors and disappointment is in store for the covetous, 5: Thankful enjoyment of God s gifts brings contentment, 5:18 20 III. Third discourse: no satisfaction in earthly goods and treasures, 6:1 8:17 A. Inadequacy of attainments esteemed by the world, 6: Neither wealth nor large family can bring final satisfaction to the soul, 6: Neither the wise nor the foolish attain satisfaction in their heart, 6: Apart from God, man cannot even discern the real reason for life, 6:10 12 B. Counsels of prudence in this sin-corrupted world, 7: True values are best gauged from the perspective of sorrow and death, 7: Cheap gaiety, dishonest gain, and shortness of temper are but pitfalls, 7: Wisdom is a greater asset than financial wealth in coping with life, 7: God is the author of both good fortune and ill, 7:13 14 FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 12

13 5. Both self-righteousness and immorality lead to disaster, 7: Wisdom has surpassing power, but sin is universal, 7: Be heedless of base malice toward yourself, 7: Man s quest for wisdom cannot by itself attain profound spiritual truth, 7: A wicked woman is the worst of evils a man can encounter, 7: But all human beings, male and female have fallen from original goodness, 7:27 29 C. Coming to terms with an imperfect world, 8: The wise man reverences the authority of the government, 8: Divine law operates in our life despite woes and wrongs and inevitable death, 8: Though esteemed and unpunished, the wicked will finally be judged by God, 8: Injustices in this life falsely encourage a shallow hedonism, 8: But God s ways are inscrutable to human wisdom, 8:16 17 IV. Fourth discourse: God will deal with the injustices of this life, 9:1 12:8 A. Death inevitable to all; make the best use of this life, 9: Death is inevitable to both the good and the evil: moral insanity grips them all, 9: Moral choice and the knowledge of this life are cut off at death, 9: Let the godly use to the full life s opportunities and blessings, 9: Even to the worthy, success is uncertain and life span unpredictable, 9: Wisdom, though unappreciated, succeeds much better than force, 9:13 18 B. The uncertainties of life and the baneful effects of folly, 10: Even a little folly can ruin a man s life; be prudent before princes, 10: Life provides reversals in fortune and strokes of retribution, 10: A fool is marked by his empty talk and misdirected effort, 10: The welfare of nations and men depends on accepting responsibility, 10: Contempt of authority brings sure retribution, 10:20 C. How best to invest a life, 11:1 12:8 1. Kindness returns with blessings to the benefactor, 11: Man s wisdom cannot change or fathom God s laws of nature, 11: The wisest course is lifelong diligence and cheerful industry, 11: A youth misspent in pleasure brings later retribution, 11: Start living for God while young, before afflictions and senility come upon you, 12:1 8 V. Conclusion: life in the light of eternity, 12:9 14 A. Solomon s purpose was to teach his people wisely about life, 12:9 10 B. These trenchant admonitions are of more practical value than all literature, 12:11 12 C. Put God s will first, for His judgment is final, 12: Gleason Leonard Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 3rd. ed.]., (Chicago: Moody Press, 1998). FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 13