Introduction We begin our study in the book of Ecclesiastes. The book of Ecclesiastes is a book about life; or rather the meaning of life. G.K. Chesterton said; The troublesome thing about life is not that it is rational or irrational, but that it is almost rational. Chuck Colson former Nixon hatchetman and now God s sharp knife wrote; Life isn t like a book. Life isn t logical or sensible or orderly. Life is a mess most of the time. And theology must be lived in the midst of that mess. Ecclesiastes has some things in common with other books in the Bible. The book is usually described as wisdom literature along with Solomon s other writings. We cannot be sure; but I believe Solomon wrote the Song of Solomon in his idealistic youth; the Proverbs in his middle age and the book of Ecclesiastes as the sun began to set in his life. One commentator T. M. Moore describes Ecclesiastes as...part biography, part poetry, part proverbs and wisdom statements, and part diatribe, it invites us to savor its various chapters as separate points in a overall argument for transcendent living (Moore p.12). The book does not lend itself easily to outlining; but I will try-- The book begins and ends with a question and an answer; what is the meaning of life? This is Solomon s version of The Purpose Driven Life based on the Preacher s diligent search for purpose, meaning, and satisfaction in human life. The question is asked and answered from the perspective of human wisdom; human inquiry; and takes into consideration the iniquities and absurdities that surround human existence. Imagine a man; one man with the greatest intellectual capacity; supernatural gifting in the area of wisdom; with unlimited resources; both political and material; unlimited wealth; able to conduct the inquiry in the longest reign of sustained peace in the history of Israel. In chapters 1 and 2 Solomon declares the problem; what is the meaning of life or we might even say is life worth living? The first response seems that life is empty, meaningless, vain. Since life is so short and so insignificant why bother living at all? When faced with the meaning of life; the wisest human being apart from our Lord asked is it meaningful to live; if you can t discover the true meaning. The Preacher argues that we are all cogs in a big wheel; in a world filled with mysteries; that pleasures do not satisfy; that death ends it all. In chapters 3-10 The Preacher intimates that God has a purpose for our lives; that God gives riches according to his will; and that God s wisdom and instructions will guide us through life (chapters 7-10). In chapters 11-12 the Preacher makes some decisions; we live by faith (11:1-6); we remember the brevity of life (11:7-12:7); and the inquiry ends with fear God and obey Him (12:8-14). The Preacher s Identification 1
The Man (v.1) Ecclesiastes 1:1 (NKJV) The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Who is the Preacher? He identifies himself with the Hebrew Title Qoheleth; it is a rare term only found in Ecclesiastes; it comes from a root word qahal which means to call an assembly or to convene an assembly; or here to preside over an assembly. The word came to mean the one who addressed the assembly; or Preacher. The Greek translation of the Hebrew Qoheleth is Ekklsiastes which became the title of the book; that word is derived from ekklesia, assembly congregation or church. The Latin Ecclesiastes means speaker before an assembly. the son of David, King in Jerusalem. The Jewish Talmud tradition credits Solomon as the author; but suggests that some of Hezekiah s scribes may have had a hand in editing some of the text (see Prov.25:1). Solomon no doubt is the best qualified person to embrace the quest in this book. The Scriptures refer to his unsurpassed wisdom. 1 Kings 4:29-30 (NKJV) And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30Thus Solomon s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. David called his son by a different name; Jedidiah which means beloved of the Lord. You can imagine the sense of greatness and destiny that hung on the shoulders of this prince. If David is a type of Jesus Christ in His humiliation, exile and rejection; In Solomon Jesus is a type of Prince of Peace; Solomon means peaceable ; and Solomon rules the Kingdom in relative peace and prosperity. The Lord invites the new crowned King to make a request; to be a granted a wish (1 Kings 3:5). Can you imagine if the Lord granted you such a privilege? What would ask for? Think of the staggering possibilities; would you ask to live longer than Methusaleh; or an abundance of riches; or peace in the kingdom; or victory over enemies; but the new king asks for the gift of wisdom. It took wisdom to ask for wisdom! (David Jeremiah). The gift of wisdom is the key that opens a thousand doors. In the 1Kings chapter 3 Solomon receives wisdom and in chapter 4 Solomon increases both wisdom and wealth. 2
In this book the Preacher will describe his exploration of pleasure (2:1-3); impressive accomplishments (2:4-6) and tremendous wealth (2:7-10); which parallels the description in the Bible of Solomon. How is it possible for someone so wise to become so foolish? Whatever else wisdom does; it is supposed to provide a way of looking at things from God s perspective; trusting God in what looks like apparent meaninglessness, futility or lack of purpose. Throughout the Preacher s Message he will return to the themes that life is a gift from God and is to be enjoyed as much as possible (see 2:24-26; 3:12-13,22; 5:18-20; 8:15; 9:7-10; 11:8-9). We do have unlimited understanding; but there are things we can understand. The Preacher believes God will judge all people. The Message (v.2) Ecclesiastes 1:2 (NKJV) Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. There are several important words in Ecclesiastes; vanity (37 times); man (47 times); labor (36 times); under the sun (30 times); wisdom or wise (52 times); and evil (22 times). Please keep in mind that part of the revelation is the process that the Preacher uses; human reasoning and comes to human conclusions; Solomon comes from the perspective of things seen under the sun. If you stop at Ecclesiastes you make make some of the mistakes cults and false religions conclude about the message of this book; you will stay in the shadows (Wiersbe) unless you move to the full revelation given in the rest of the Bible; including the New Testament. Does the book of Ecclesiastes teach that men have more in common with animals that made in the image of God? Does the book of Ecclesiastes teach that there is no life after death? No. Read the death verses carefully (2:14-16; 3:16-22; 6:1-6; 7:2-4; 9:1-4). What do you discover? The Preacher believes in life after death. In 3:17 the Preacher mentions a future judgment and also in 11:9; and 12:14. How can there be a future judgment if there is no future life? Clearly one thing happens to both man and beast; they both return to the dust (3:19-20); but they do not go to the same place; one goes down; but 3:21 the spirit of human beings return to God (see also 12:7). Some people who read the book of Ecclesiastes are uncomfortable with what they perceive to be its fatalism (3:15); pessimism (4:2); hedonism (2:24; 8:15); and materialism (3:19-21). The book of Ecclesiastes develops some truths about God and human beings; including the truth about God s existence (3:14; 5:2); God s sovereignty and power (6:2; 7:13; 9:1); God s justice (5:8; 8:12-13); man s sinfulness (7:20; 9:3); man s finiteness (8:8,17); man s duty (9:7-10; 12:13); man s immortality (3:11; 12:7); and divine punishments and rewards (2:26; 3:17; 8:12; 11:9; 12:14). The name of God is always translated Elohim (41 times) rather than LORD 3
(Yahweh). The emphasis is on the Creator/creature relationship rather than Redeemer/redeemed relationship (see Wilkinson and Boa Talk Thru The Old Testament; p.170-171). Clearly Solomon in all his wisdom did not have the full revelation of the NT about life and death, resurrection and judgment; but he does not contradict NT teachings (See Wierbse s discussion in his OT Testament Outlines pp.486-487). How are we to translate this word? The word means empty, void; and it constitutes the emptiness that comes from trying to live a life apart from the true and living God. We might think of it another way; vanity is the empty feeling of life in trying to be happy apart from God. In the book of Ecclesiastes the Preacher explores what life is like without God. Godless learning---------- leading to cynicism (1:7;8) Godless greatness--------- leading to sorrow (1:16-18) Godless pleasure---------- leading to disappointment (2:1-2) Godless labor-------------- leading to hatred of life (2:17) Godless philosophy------- leading to emptiness (3:1-9) Godless eternity----------- leading to unfulfillment (3:11) Godless life---------------- leading to depression (4:2-3) Godless religion----------- leading to dread (5:7) Godless wealth------------ leading to trouble (5:12) Godless existence-------- leading to frustration (6:12) Godless wisdom---------- leading to despair (11:1-8) The book begins with a declaration of vanity (empty) and will continue with illustrations of vanity (vv.4-12) and then will provide proof from scripture; proof from observations; and then the preacher will introduce the topics of coping in a wicked world; counsel for uncertainty and conclude with fear and obey God. What does the Preacher mean by the fear of God? He means a deeply serious attitude to the will and word of God (12:13-14). (This was adopted from Nelson s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts 1993 by Thomas Nelson; p.194). Life apart from the Lord Jesus Christ is long and lonely; empty and filled with guilt. This book preaches a message that God has placed eternity in our hearts (3:11). Only the Lord Jesus Christ can provide faith, forgiveness, belief, eternal life. That translates to ultimate satisfaction, joy and wisdom. There is one shepherd, David s Son; and Solomon s Son who offers abundant and eternal life (John 10:9-10). How is it possible that in every generation human beings revisit the question; Can a man live without God? 4
The word translated vanity appears 37 times; and will encompass the emptiness that accompanies the futility of power, popularity, prestige, and pleasure apart from God. The Mission (v.3) Ecclesiastes 1:3 (NKJV) What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun? The mission is to ask and answer the question; what is the meaning of life? I read this week about a man named John Berryman. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his innovative book of poetry entitled 77 Dream Songs. He served as a University professor and the prize brought him fortune, fame, friends and followers. He seemed to have it all. But on a bitter cold day in January 1972; he came to his final stanza. The poet walked across a bridge in Minnesota, waved to a stranger, and leaped to his death in the icy Mississippi River. Why? At fifty-five, half famous and effective he had written, I still feel rotten about myself. An in one of his poems, Berryman wrote: After all has been said, and all has been said, man is a huddle of need (see David Jeremiah; Searching For Heaven On Earth; forward xv). This is note was left by a college student; To anyone in the world who cares: Who am I? Why am I living? Life has become stupid and purposeless. Nothing makes sense anymore. The questions I had when I came to college are still unanswered and now I am convince there are no answers. There can only be pain and guilt and despair here in this world. My fear of death and the unknown is far less terrifying than the prospect of the unbearable frustration, futility, and hopelessness of continued existence. In a recent survey 7,948 University students from 48 different colleges were asked what they considered very important to them. The study conducted by Johns Hopkins University reported that 16% wanted to earn a lot of money. 75% said their first goal was to discover and find a purpose and meaning to my life. In the introduction of his book; The Purpose Driven Life; Rick Warren cites a survey conducted by Dr. Hugh Moorhead; a philosophy professor at Northeastern Illinois University. Moorhead wrote to 250 famous philosophers, scientists, writers and intellectuals, asking the simple question: What is the meaning of life? Some offered their best guesses; others admitted they just made up a response; still others honestly admitted they were clueless. Several of the intellectuals even asked Moorhead to write back and tell them if he had discovered the purpose of life (David Jeremiah xvi forward; Searching for Heaven on Earth). 5
The wisest man who ever lived pondered, puzzled, and wondered about the question you care about. Is happiness possible Why is my life so frustrating? Is it too late for me? Does my life matter? David Jeremiah in his fabulous book Searching for Heaven on Earth puts it this way; Where can I find a little heaven on earth? Solomon will not give us a trite or canned answer. The Preacher knows that apart from God life really is vain. Conclusion The Preacher will spend a great deal of time with the phrase under the sun. Life without God; apart from the person who made the son is empty, futile. Life is found in the Son. In the book of Ecclesiastes we will see references to life under the sun; (v.3) What advantage is work under the son? (v.9) Nothing new under the sun. (v.14) All deeds are vanity under the sun (2:18) The fruit of labor is hated under the sun (6:12) Man is mortal under the sun (8:15) Pleasure is temporary under the sun (9:3) All men die under the sun (9:11) Strength and speed under the sun (12:2) Life under the sun will cease Contrast that with the New testament and Life under the Son (Phil. 1:6) He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) Therefore if anyone is in Christ; he is a new creation...all things have become new; There is something new under the sun! 1 Cor. 15:58 Be steadfast, immovable...knowing that your labor in not in vain in the Lord John 3:16; Whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life Phil. 2:13; For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 1 John 5:11; God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son 1 Cor. 1:27; God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty 1 John 5:13; That you may know that you have eternal life Live in the Son never ceases. 6