The Book of Ecclesiastes

Transcription

1 Into God s Word March 25, 2014 Ecclesiastes Lesson One: Overview The Book of Ecclesiastes I About the Book: A) Although it is never directly stated, from the context, it is clear that Solomon is the author. 1) Ecclesiastes 1:1, 12 2) Some have disputed this idea, yet most Biblical scholars and Jewish historians attribute this rich work to none other than Solomon. B) Understanding Ecclesiastes: 1) Ecclesiastes undoubtedly contains the words and wisdom of King Solomon in his later years. (a) The book contains the reflections of Solomon, in his old age, looking back on his life and all the mistakes he made. (b) The title of the book in Hebrew is Koheleth, which means the Preacher. (c) Ecclesiastes a transliteration of Greek word which was used in the Septuagint translation for koheleth. (Hebrew to Greek) (d) In this book, the Wisdom of Solomon s old age is used to motivate successive generation not to make the same mistakes that he made. 2) The words he sought to write were those that are upright and that are in accordance with God s truth. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. Ecclesiastes 12:10 C) Ecclesiastes is perhaps one of the most perplexing books found in the pages of Holy Writ. 1) It seems to be filled with many counter-intuitive thoughts and ideas; therefore it has been viewed by many as difficult to understand. 2) The author, Solomon, states a number of things that seem to go against what is right, things that even seem contradictory to the rest of the Bible. D) Ecclesiastes contrasts the wisdom of the world with the true wisdom from the Word of God. 1) Many times, Solomon compares a view he once held in his youth with the view he came to in the wisdom of his old age. 2) Many of the statements on his former views seem contradictory to the rest of the Bible. 3) This is because they are a reflection Solomon s spiritual state at the time in which he held that contradictory view. 4) When reading these seemingly contradictory statements it is important for the reader to consider the context of Solomon s life.

2 II Background of the Book: A) About the Author. 1) Solomon wrote the Song of Solomon as a young man when he married one of his first wives. 2) He wrote Proverbs near his middle age as his son was coming into adulthood. 3) He wrote Ecclesiastes as an elderly man looking back on his life. 4) We know that in his youth, Solomon sought after God with all his heart, like David. 1 Kings 3:3 (a) God was pleased with Solomon and offered to grant anything that he would ask. 1 Kings 3:5 (b) Solomon asked for wisdom. 1 Kings 3:9 (c) Because this pleased God, God granted also the things for which Solomon did not ask: wealth and fame. 1 Kings 3:13 5) At some point though his heart was turned away from God. 1 Kings 11:1-4 (a) Because of this sin, God confronted Solomon and promised to divide the kingdom of Israel from Solomon s son Rehoboam and give part of it over to Jeroboam. This was punishment for the sins of Solomon. 1 Kings 11:11-13 (b) The account of Solomon s reign in 1 Kings never records that he ultimately came back to God. (c) Interestingly in 2 Chronicles, no mention is made of Solomon s heart being turned away from God. (d) His reign is summed up concisely and of his death, it simply states that he slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father... (2 Chronicles 9:31) 6) My belief is that Solomon repented after he was confronted by the Lord and returned to faithful service toward God. (a) That is when the Spirit inspired him to write the book of Ecclesiastes. (b) This may just be wishful thinking on my part, but I think the text of Ecclesiastes bears this out. B) We know that Solomon was perhaps the wisest man who ever lived, yet we can see from this text that, even with all of his wisdom he became foolish in the choices he made in life. 1) Kind of a paradox isn t it! 2) Solomon did not always follow the right kind of wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:19-27 III Key words and Phrases: A) Vanity found at least 33 times in 28 verses. 1) Vanity of vanities... 2) All is vanity... 3) Vanity and vexation of spirit...

3 4) This is also vanity... B) Vanity: 1) Webster s Dictionary: 1) Emptiness; want of substance to satisfy desire; uncertainty; inanity. 2) Fruitless desire or endeavor. 3) Trifling labor that produces no good. 4) Emptiness; untruth; 5) Empty pleasure; vain pursuit; idle show; unsubstantial enjoyment. 6) Ostentation; arrogance. 7) Inflation of mind upon slight grounds; empty pride, inspired by an overweening conceit of one's personal attainments or decorations. 2) Hebrew word literally means vapor or breath. (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions) 3) A breath or vapor is something that will not last. Akin to what James speaks of in James 4:14 4) Strong s Definition: emptiness or vanity; figuratively something transitory and unsatisfactory 5) All is vanity??? Everything under the sun... is vanity. C) Under the sun... 1) Phrase is found 29 times in 27 verses. 2) A proper understanding of this phrase safeguards the message of the entire book... The thought is that [the writer, Solomon] is evaluating life at ground level, without any thought of God. Under the sun refers to life here and now, life on earth, life without any light of revelation. Where the phrase appears the writer is saying, in effect, If one leaves out any thought of heavenly (spiritual) things, what does he have left in life? 1 3) All is vanity under the sun! (a) Material things will not help beyond the veil of this life. Matthew 6:19-21 (b) Material things will not make us happy. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 D) Theme of the Book: 1) Ecclesiastes 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 2) Ecclesiastes 1:14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. 3) This highlights the worthlessness of worldly things in view of man s eternal destination. 4) Taken strictly from a worldly perspective, nothing truly satisfies! Nothing lasts! From this viewpoint, we see the utter worthlessness of living our lives without taking God into the equation. Without living for God, there truly is no point to living at all! E) The Great Question: 1) Ecclesiastes 1:3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? (a) Is there any value or profit for all the things we do on this earth?

4 (b) If our labor is meaningless in this life, what can we do? 2) In this book he will share... (a) What he learned from personal experience. (b) What he learned from personal observations. (c) Wise counsel based upon the wisdom and inspiration God gave him. F) The Ultimate Answer: Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. (14) For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. 1) To live for God is the only reason to live! IV Outline of the Book: A) My Outline: 1) Vanity of human wisdom. Ecclesiastes 1-2 2) Disappointments of life. Ecclesiastes 3-5 3) Vanity of earthy wealth and honor. Ecclesiastes 6-8 4) Dealing w/ life's injustices. Ecclesiastes 9-12:8 5) Life in view of eternity. Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 B) Guy N. Woods: 1) Introduction. Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 2) Solomon seeking happiness in: (a) Wisdom. Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 (b) Wealth. Ecclesiastes 2:1-26 (c) Prominence. Ecclesiastes 3:1-5:20 (d) Pleasure. Ecclesiastes 6:1-8:17 3) Genuine happiness. Ecclesiastes 9:1-12:7 4) Conclusion. Ecclesiastes 12:8-13 V Conclusion: A) I look forward to getting into this wonderful and thought provoking book. B) It truly is a book that speaks to our day and age, as it did in the days of Solomon. C) So many in the U.S. and really around the entire globe are living lives of vanity and vexation of spirit... because they have chosen to live as if they believe there is no God!

5 D) I hope that you will join me the next few weeks as we discover the value of living for God from the perspective of a man who truly had seen it all and was left with only one possible conclusion about life under the sun is that our purpose is to live for God and for him alone! E) Thank you! And I look forward to our lesson on Ecclesiastes Chapter One Next week! Resources Consulted: The Pulpit Commentaries My class notes from the Southwest School of Bible Studies, Carl B. Garner s class on Wisdom Literature James E. Smith s book entitled: TheWisdom Literature & Psalms 1 Smith, James E., The Wisdom Literature & Psalms, (Joplin, MO: College Press, 1996) p. 705