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Ecclesiastes
1. JESUS CHRIST
I AM THAT I AM
ECCLESIASTE
S
Let us study about life….
2. TITLE
The title Ecclesiastes means ―the preacher‖
• In the Hebrew bible, this book is called
―Qoheleth,‖ which is most commonly translated:
• ―preacher,‖ ―teacher,‖
• one who collects an assembly into a meeting in order
to teach them.
• This appears to be the title of the author of this
book, appearing 7 times (1:1, 2, 12, 7:27, 12:8, 9,
10).
• The book states that the author of this book is ―the
son of David, king in Jerusalem,‖ (1:1) and is thus
traditionally attributed to Solomon.
3. THEME
After his departure from God (I Kings 11:1-8),
Solomon still retained riches and wisdom.
Possessed of these, he began his quest for truth
and happiness apart from God.
The result of this quest is expressed in the ever-
recurring phrase ―all is vanity.. (Vanity here means
―emptiness, worthlessness.‖) Solomon learned the
following truth which sums up the theme of the
book: Without God’s blessing, wisdom, position
and riches do not satisfy, but rather bring
weariness and disappointment.
This fact shows the value of Ecclesiastes, a book
whose general tone is pessimistic.
4. CONTENTS
Solomon began his book with a discussion of the
vanity of human pleasure and wisdom (chapters 1 and
2).
He then proceeded to the hindrances and means of
advancing earthly happiness (chapters 3-5).
In 6:1-8:15 the foolish wise king reflected on true
practical wisdom.
True wisdom does not consist in striving after earthly
sources of happiness (6:1-12), for even those who
possess wealth do not attain to a true lasting
enjoyment of them.
True wisdom consists in a contempt of the world and
foolish lusts (7:1-7), in a patient, calm, and resigned
spirit (7:8-14), and in an earnest fear of God and a
sincere acknowledgement of sin (7:15-22).
5. Next, Solomon considered the relation of true
wisdom to the life of man (8:16- 20:20).
God‘s dealings with man are sometimes
mysterious (8:16-9:6), but that should not
discourage the wise man from taking an active
part in life.
Though the result of human labor is
sometimes uncertain, man should not be
discouraged in his search for wisdom (9:11-
16).
6. After his reasonings, some true and some false, Solomon came to his conclusions.
These represent the very best that the natural man can do, apart from revelation, to
attain to happiness and favor with God. His conclusions include:
* FaithfuIness in benevolence and in one‘s
calling (11:1-6).
* A calm and contented enjoyment of this life
(11:7-10).
* The fear of God for the young and old in view
of a coming judgment (12:1-7).
* The fear of God and the keeping of His
commandments (12:13, 14).
7. Ecclesiastes reflects the utter vanity
“emptiness and worthlessness” of life
without God.
No matter what Solomon tried and
experienced, nothing replaced the love and
blessings he had known in serving God.
How sad the soul is who departs from the
paths of God.
8. The Core of Ecclesiastes
Solomon was given the gift of wisdom by God (1
Kings 3:11-12)
However, he began to worship the gift instead of
the giver of the gift and found himself spiritually
disconnected from God.
So, Solomon spends many years trying to find
other ways to have meaning and purpose in this
life apart from God.
Thus, Ecclesiastes is an autobiographical journal
of Solomon‘s experiences and reflections while he
was out of fellowship with God
9. Christ as seen in Ecclesiastes:
Since Christ alone is man‘s means to God
where man finds wholeness and satisfaction,
or life and life more abundantly (John 10:10;
7:37-38), the futility and perplexity experienced
in life can only be removed through a personal
relationship with the Lord Jesus.
Man‘s aspiration for significance and
satisfaction are found only in the Savior.
10. Purpose:
The basic theme is the futility of life apart from
God. Thus, it relates what constitutes purposeful
existence and how we can find it
In a very real sense, this book is a scientific lab
journal. Solomon records all the experimental
steps and conclusions as he explored all aspects
of life in his attempt to discover meaning. Each
section of the book explores a different avenue by
which humanity has sought out purpose to life.
Therefore, the book of Ecclesiastes is a discourse
that logically proves that belief in God is the way
to meaning and purpose in life. However, the
way in which this is done is through the process of
elimination.
11. In seeking to demonstrate that life without God
has no meaning, Solomon reveals two key points:
1) Solomon showed that man, left to his own
strategies (―way that seems right to man‖) will
always find life empty and frustrating.
2) Solomon affirms the fact that much in life
cannot be fully understood, which means we must
live by faith, not by sight.
“Life is full of unexplained enigmas, unresolved
anomalies, and uncorrected injustices. There is
much in life that man cannot comprehend nor
control, but by faith, we can rest in the sovereign
wisdom and work of God.” Barnes
12. Outline
I. The basic thesis: "All is Vanity" 1:1-11
II. The Proof that "All is Vanity." 1:12—6:9
Consists of eight sections (1:12-14; 1:15-17; 1:18 – 2:11;
2:12-17; 2:18-26; 3:1 – 4:6; 4:7-16; 5:1 – 6:9), each
ending with a phrase such as "meaningless, a chasing
after the wind."
III. Counsel for Living with Vanity 6:10—11:6
Divided into two sections. The first section (6:10 – 8:17)
is further divided into four subsections (6:10 – 7:14; 7:15-
24; 7:25-29; 8:1-17), each ending with a phrase such as
"man cannot discover anything" or "this only have I
found" [Hebrew: matsa’, translated "discover" elsewhere].
The second section is also divided into four subsections
(9:1-12; 9:13 – 10:15; 10:16 – 11:2; 11:3-6), each ending
with "no man knows" or a similar phrase.
IV. The way of wisdom 11:7—12:8
V. Epilogue 12:9-14
13. Dissection of the Book
―The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king
in Jerusalem.” (1:1)
Solomon had a very full life. He built the great
temple in Jerusalem and numerous other projects.
He became the wisest and richest man of his day.
He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. He wrote
songs and spoke proverbs, many of which are
preserved in the book of Proverbs.
We might expect Solomon to have been satisfied
and grateful as he reflected on a life of
achievement. Rather, he was frustrated and
bitter.
14. “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of
vanities; all is vanity.” (1:2)
In Hebrew, the word translated vanity is used of
things which soon vanish away, like a vapor, a breath,
or a bubble.
Thus, more than the sense of ―meaningless,‖ vanity
conveys the idea of that which is transitory, and that
which is futile. It emphasizes how swiftly earthly things
pass away, and how little they offer while one has
them
This view is also echoed in the NT, “Whereas ye know
not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life?
It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and
then vanisheth away.” (James 4:14)
15. Therefore, when Solomon used this word in
Ecclesiastes, he meant lacking real substance,
value, permanence, or significance. Life‘s every
activity, even though pleasant for the moment,
becomes purposeless and futile when viewed as
an end in itself.
Vanity “stands more for human inability to grasp
the meaning of God's way than for an ultimate
emptiness in life. It speaks of human limitation and
frustration caused by the vast gap between God's
knowledge and power and our relative ignorance
and impotence.” Hubbard
The phrase "is vanity" is reiterated 37 times to
16. Solomon begins by posing a rhetorical
question, “What profit hath a man of all his
labor which he taketh under the sun? ” (1:3)
The phrase 'under the sun,' used 29 times in
Ecclesiastes and nowhere else in the Old
Testament, describes life and reality as perceived
by mere human temporal observation.
The man "under the sun" in Ecclesiastes is one
unaided by a personal relationship with God.
Solomon is further claiming that all of mankind‘s
self-edifying toils produce nothing ultimate or truly
satisfying. Our work is never complete in the
sense that we never finally arrive at a condition in
which no more work is necessary.
17. “One generation passeth away, and another
generation cometh: but the earth abideth for
ever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth
down, and hasteth to his place where he
arose.” (1:4-5)
One of the first things Solomon notes is that, in
essence, all things are as they always have been.
From the perspective of living under the sun, even
history and time seems meaningless.
Superficial things about the world may change, but
it still remains basically the same. For all
mankind's great accomplishments and failures, the
world continues on. We are born, we live, and we
18. Solomon uses the cycles of nature as a
descriptive analogy of life itself as all things
seem to just repeat and recur no matter what a
particular generation accomplishes.
Nothing seems to come to any point of
conclusion.
The sun and the wind are in constant motion
but never arrive at any fixed goal or lasting
rest..
The universe continues about its natural flow,
oblivious and indifferent to man.
19. Interestingly, his dad (King David) observed
the same cycles of nature with wonder and joy:
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the
firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day
uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth
knowledge. There is no speech nor language,
where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone
out through all the earth, and their words to the
end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle
for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out
of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to
run a race. His going forth is from the end of the
heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and
there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.” (Psalm
19:1-6)
20. However, Solomon observes the same
phenomena, but his observations were not as
positive: “All things are full of labor; man
cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with
seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.” (1:8)
Essentially, Solomon is noting from a purely
scientific perspective (naturalism worldview),
nature cycles are basically boring monotonous
patterns; just like life itself.
Thus, like the ocean, our senses are fed and fed,
but never filled; and like the wind, the mind is also
constantly in motion (such as its search for
21. “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall
be; and that which is done is that which shall
be done: and there is no new thing under the
sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said,
See, this is new? it hath been already of old
time, which was before us.” (1:9-10)
By saying, "there is nothing new under the sun,"
Solomon was not overlooking inventions and
technological advances that have resulted in
civilization's advancement through the centuries.
Nevertheless these have been only innovations,
not basic changes. Man still struggles with the
same essential questions, problems, and needs
he has always had.
22. Perhaps saddest of all for life ―under the sun‖
is no matter what someone does in his life, it
will be fleeting and forgotten in time, “There is
no remembrance of former things; neither
shall there be any remembrance of things
that are to come with those that shall come
after.” (1:11)
23. Solomon engages in a multiple quest for meaning and
satisfaction, using his own resources to explore
various avenues of life.: “And I gave my heart to seek
and search out by wisdom concerning all things that
are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God
given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.”
(1:13)
The term ‗Heart' points to the combined use of mind
and will in the quest for knowledge.
Wisdom in the sense Solomon is using it does not
refer to living a life pleasing to God. It means using
human intelligence as an instrument to seek out truth
and significance.
Solomon isn‘t naïve or stupid. He is shrewd and
clever; he is attempting to find the ideal balance
between such things as pleasure and self-control.
24. “I have seen all the works that are done under
the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation
of spirit.” (1:14)
Solomon doesn‘t merely make the claim---he
provides the proof. This is the
autobiographical story of a real life experience,
a man who had unprecedented earthly
resources, and attempted to find meaning in
this physical life, and came back empty-
handed!
25. “And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to
know madness and folly: I perceived that this
also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom
is much grief: and he that increaseth
knowledge increaseth sorrow” (1:17-18)
Solomon first tried to find meaning in intellectual
pursuits as well as the world of the irrational.
The more Solomon learned about the world, the
more injustices he found he couldn‘t fix.
Thus, even though he is a wise man, Solomon still
stands completely helpless to solve many of the
problems among his own people.
26. Having failed to find fulfillment through wisdom,
Solomon next turns to physical pleasure, “I said in
mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth,
therefore enjoy pleasure” (2:1)
This is known as the human philosophy of hedonism,
which is a devotion to pleasure (especially to the
pleasures of the senses) as a way of life. It is a very
old philosophy that has masqueraded under many
different names and is alive and well today
Some of the modern maxims of hedonism are:
A) Live life to the fullest.
B) The one who dies with the most toys wins
C) Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll
D) You only go around once, live it up, don‘t worry, be
happy‖.
27. Besides the humor he pursued in the first verse,
Solomon experimented with a variety of other
pleasures:
1) Wine (2:3) “I sought in mine heart to give myself
unto wine”
2) Creativity (2:4-6) “I made me great works; I builded
me houses; I planted me vineyards”
Remember.. His own house was larger and took
longer to build than the temple. 1 Kings 6:38; 7:1
3) Treasure (2:8) “I gathered me also silver and gold,
and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the
provinces”
Notice "I made," "for myself" - is used 8 times in
28. In fact, Solomon‘s self-indulgence was so
thorough in his experiment with hedonism that,
“whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from
them, I withheld not my heart from any joy”
(2:10)
However, while the pleasures might have brought
some temporary happiness or thrill, Solomon final
conclusion about hedonism having any eternal
value was, “Then I looked on all the works that my
hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had
labored to do: and, behold, all was vanity and
vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under
the sun.” (2:11)
29. “Yea, I hated all my labor which I had taken under the
sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be
after me. And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise
man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labor
wherein I have labored, and wherein I have shewed
myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.” (2:18-19)
Solomon realizes that a man may spend his entire life
accumulating earthly goods, only to be unable to take it with
him or control its destiny when he dies. Many successors
squander inherited wealth because people do not generally
appreciate that which they do not earn themselves.
The irony is that Solomon‘s son, Rehoboam, proved to be a
fool despite his wise daddy. In fact, according to 1 Kings
chapter 12, Rehoboam's folly caused the majority of the
kingdom to turn their backs on him and establish a new
kingdom, causing the Promise Land to be divided into two
competing nations.
30. “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should
eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy
good in his labor. This also I saw, that it was from the
hand of God.” (2:24)
Solomon recognizes that life is not a ―rat race‖ but
rather a gift from God. Man is to take his life day by
day from the hand of God (ref. Matt 6:25-34). Thus the
emphasis is on the journey more than the destination.
We can‘t truly enjoy the things ―under the sun‖ until
our minds are set on things above the sun (Matthew
6:19-21, 33; Colossians 3:1-2; Philippians 4:11). God
has enabled us to be freed from our demand that
physical things make us happy. Thus, this life is only
meaningful if God exists.
31. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every
purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time
to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is
planted;” (3:1-2)
Solomon next shows seven common pairs of examples from
everyday life of how life is constantly changing, constantly
going through cycles.
What is his point? “He hath made every thing beautiful in his
time:.” (3:11a)
We may think that we have control over our lives and what we
will do each day, but a realistic observation makes us realize
that many unexpected things will happen in life, and that life
isn‘t going to always follow our game plan. In fact man is
subject to many circumstances which can completely erase a
whole life‘s work (such as war and death); thus man‘s only
security is in the faith and hope that God is who He claims to
be.
32. “also he hath set the world [eternity] in their heart, so that
no man can find out the work that God maketh from the
beginning to the end” (3:11b)
Part of the image of God in which every person is created
involves our sense of the infinite and eternity. Built into each
one of us is the ability to look back into the past and forward
into the future and a desire to know the eternal significance of
what we do. Additionally, man's needs are not purely physical
and thus cannot be satisfied by purely physical things.
Yet, while we can vaguely grasp the concept of how the
infinite interacts with the temporal(ref. 1 Cor 13:12), we know
just enough to make us realize the vast amount that we don‘t
know. Thus, most of the details of God‘s redemptive plan are
unfathomable to us, and apart from Divine revelation, we are
completely blind concerning what God will do in the future
(Deut. 29:29; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13).
33. “And also that every man should eat and drink,
and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of
God.” (3:13)
There is a big difference between selfishly trying to
squeeze all the fun out of each moment in life----and
appreciating each moment in life. Only the believer
can really see that there was ‗good‘ (true and lasting)
in what he accomplished (Eph. 2:10; Revelation
14:13; Matthew 6:19-20) through the faithfulness,
dependability, and power of God.
James 1:17 echoes Solomon‘s insights, “Every good
gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh
down from the Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
34. “And moreover I saw under the sun the
place of judgment, that wickedness was
there; and the place of righteousness, that
iniquity was there. I said in mine heart, God
shall judge the righteous and the wicked:
for there is a time there for every purpose
and for every work.” (3:16-17)
Solomon wrestled with perhaps the most
difficult obstacle for the understanding of
God's ways: the problem of injustice in this life.
35. “So I returned, and considered all the oppressions
that are done under the sun: and behold the tears
of such as were oppressed, and they had no
comforter; and on the side of their oppressors
there was power; but they had no comforter.” (4:1)
Solomon realized that from a purely naturalistic ―under
the sun‖ viewpoint—if there is no life beyond this life—
then the living have only the prospect of looking
forward to seeing and experiencing suffering.
In fact, if this world was all there was, Solomon says it
would be better not to be born at all than to
experience the pain and suffering that this life has to
offer. (4:3)
36. “Two are better than one; because they
have a good reward for their labor.” (4:9)
It is better to share our life with another person
rather than "go it alone‖ because we really
cannot enjoy life to its fullest as loners.
People were created to need and share with
other people; we cannot fill that need from
within ourselves.
37. “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house
of God, and be more ready to hear, than to
give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider
not that they do evil.” (5:1; Ref. Prov. 15:8;
21:3; 1 Sam. 15:22; Psalm 51:16-17. )
Why do our lives appear to be vanity and futile?
Solomon implies that our spiritual lives are a
series of empty promises and lifeless
rededications.
Man should approach God with care and
reverence; not mindless ritual.
Worship tends to become corrupted when men
forget that they are the worshippers and not the
object of worship
38. “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine
heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for
God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore
let thy words be few. When thou vowest a vow
unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no
pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that
thou shouldest vow and not pay.” (5:2,4-5)
We live in a society in which talk is cheap. Often,
when facing a crisis, we promise all sorts of things to
God if only He will see us through this trial in our lives.
But once the trial is over, we often forget such fervent
promises. Good intentions, pious words and sincere
prayers don‘t make up for a failure to keep what we
have pledged.
39. “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied
with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with
increase: this is also vanity. When goods
increase, they are increased that eat them: and
what good is there to the owners thereof,
saving the beholding of them with their eyes?”
(5:10-11)
Greed and materialism have no satisfying limits.
"The more they get; the more they want."
1 Tim. 6:9-10 warns us of the many evils
associated with love of money and/or what money
can buy
Unfortunately, even though Jesus plainly said that
no man can serve two masters (Matt. 6:24), many
Christians seem bent on trying to prove Him
40. “There is a sore evil which I have seen under the
sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to
their hurt. As he came forth of his mother's womb,
naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall
take nothing of his labor, which he may carry
away in his hand.” (5:13, 15)
Solomon sums up the vanity of the greedy man‘s life--
all that hard work, all those sleepless nights, and all
that worrying—in the end for nothing! We go out as
naked as we arrived. The only thing we will take with
us is our heavenly treasures (ref. Matt. 6:19-20; Luke
12:33; 1 Tim. 6:17-19; 2 Tim. 1:12).
Many allow their riches to destroy their souls, such as
the rich young ruler, who allowed wealth to hinder him
from following the Lord. (Mark 10:17-31)
41. “Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for
one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his
labor that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life,
which God giveth him: for it is his portion. Every man
also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and
hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his
portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.”
(5:18-19)
After considering the vanity of hoarding wealth,
Solomon concludes that many miss—through
covetousness and greed—the joy God
intended for man.
42. Only the man or woman who has God as the
center of their life is able to enjoy the nice things
this life has to offer.
Outside of Christ, possessions and wealth will
naturally cause you to worry, fret, envy, and so on.
Wealth isn‘t bad or good, riches are not evil in and
of themselves. When they are looked upon with a
proper attitude and used in harmony with God‘s
ordained will, they bring joy.
However, abundance is useless without the ability
to enjoy it.
43. “All the labor of man is for his mouth, and
yet the appetite is not filled.” (6:7)
Solomon warns that there is always the
danger that our desires will outstrip our
acquisitions. Constantly longing for more is
futile.
This is autobiographical for Solomon: God
gave Solomon riches, wealth and honor, but
Solomon was still frustrated. He continued to
crave things he didn‘t (or couldn‘t) have.
44. “Better is the sight of the eyes than the
wandering of the desire:” (6:9a)
Too many of us spend too much time daydreaming
for what we consider to be the ideal_________,
instead of realizing the true wealth and enjoyment
which is right before our eyes. Too many of us are
living in the earthly future, rather than the present.
We think that something in the earthly future
(marriage, children, career, home, vacation home,
new car, retirement, vacation, etc…) will bring the
happiness that we are so desperately trying to
find….
Solomon, through his own experience, provides
the truth of the matter, “this is also vanity and
vexation of spirit.” (6:9b)
45. “That which hath been is named already, and it is known
that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is
mightier than he. Seeing there be many things that
increase vanity, what is man the better? For who knoweth
what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain
life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a
man what shall be after him under the sun?” (6:10-12)
The nature of man does not change, no matter how much
man may protest. As previous verses mentioned, he will still
be a slave to his hunger. He will still die. He will still find no
solace in wealth. No amount of complaining will change the
natural order of things.
Human beings do not have the answer as to what is best for
man in life. They only think they do. Thus, from their
humanistic worldviews, man continues asking the same
questions as their predecessors: ‗who knows what is good for
man?‘ ‗Who can tell man what will happen after his death?‘
However, they refuse to accept the truth that only God has
these answers.
46. Solomon begins to apply the observations of the
previous chapters in the form of contrastive
couplet proverbs giving counsel for living with
vanity
7:1—A good name is better than precious ointment;
and the day of death than the day of one's birth.
7:2—It is better to go to the house of mourning, than
to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all
men; and the living will lay it to his heart.
7:3—Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the
sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
He advocates that sorrow is superior to joy, as one
learns more from the trials of life than from
celebration. Sorrows sober us and cause us to reflect.
47. 7:10—”Say not thou, What is the cause that the
former days were better than these? for thou dost not
enquire wisely concerning this.”
Man tends to forget the bad and remember the good.
Thus, when he looks back on the past, it always
seems that it was better than things are now. In many
ways "the good old days" were not all that good. The
man who idealizes the past runs the risk of forgetting
the present and bringing ruin to his future.
Yet, Solomon is even more direct…Living in the past
or wishing for some golden era in the past is also
living like a fool. We must make the best of our
situation as it is now.
48. “Consider the work of God: for who can make
that straight, which he hath made crooked? In
the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day
of adversity consider: God also hath set the
one over against the other, to the end that man
should find nothing after him.” (7:13-14)
Man's tendency is to question God, just as Job
did. However, instead of being tempted to find
fault with God‘s management of this world, we
must learn from the hardship (Psalm 119:71).
Thus, the truly wise man will submit to and accept
how God governs this universe.
49. “Be not righteous over much; neither make
thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy
thyself ?” (7:16)
Solomon isn‘t advocating a half-hearted devotion
to God. Rather, he is warning against being overly
righteous, or self-righteous—such as the
Pharisees (ref. Matt 23:5-7).
Pride accompanies this type of "righteousness"
and causes the ruin of the those who practice it
(ref. I Cor 10:12).
Conversely, Solomon is not suggesting a life of
―sin-management‖ but also warns against the
other extreme of behavior known as
―antinomianism,‖ (without law): “Be not over much
wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest
50. “All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will
be wise; but it was far from me. That which is
far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it
out?” (7:23-24)
The book repeatedly notes that Solomon had
attempted to use his immense wisdom to find an
explanation for the troubling questions to life.
(1:13,17; 2:3,9,12).
However, he concedes that many of the answers
have eluded him. Apart from divine revelation,
Solomon found that human wisdom fails to find the
ultimate answers
Further, there are many things that God alone
knows and that He has not chosen to reveal to
man. Even the wisest man to walk the earth could
51. “And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come
and gone from the place of the holy, and they were
forgotten in the city where they had so done: this
is also vanity” (8:10)
At times history has mistakenly labeled the wicked as
righteous and visa versa. In our own culture we have
idolized a good number of people who were very
sinful. How many corrupt politicians, ruthless tycoons,
and immoral Hollywood actors or actresses are buried
with full honors?
Solomon also notes that there are times when the
wicked receive good things, while the righteous at
times receive bad things: “here is a vanity which is
done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto
whom it happeneth according to the work of the
wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it
happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I
52. “For to him that is joined to all the living there is
hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
For the living know that they shall die: but the
dead know not any thing, neither have they any
more a reward; for the memory of them is
forgotten.” (9:4-5)
The word hope here infers an afterlife that is
determined by the type of life that one lives in this life
(2 Corinthians 5:10; Ecc. 12:14). As long as there is
life, man can change his eternal destiny, but once
death happens his or her fate is fixed forever (Luke
16:19-31; Hebrews 9:28).
For those ‗living under the sun‘ and believe there is no
God, there is no hope at all. Knowing death is
inevitable, why isn‘t everyone seeking God? Solomon
explains, “the heart of the sons of men is full of
53. “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the
race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the
strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet
riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour
to men of skill; but time and chance
happeneth to them all.” (9:11)
Solomon notes the uncertainty and brevity of life.
The idea is that man can‘t prepare for everything.
Many of the ―best‖ teams have lost the
championship. The ―strongest‖ armies in history
sometimes did not win the war. The fastest runner
pulled a hamstring, etc, etc.
54. “Dead flies cause the ointment of the
apothecary to send forth a stinking savor:
so doth a little folly him that is in reputation
for wisdom and honor.” (10:1)
A little fault or a little sin/foolishness can mar a
reputation which was only acquired with
tremendous effort and half a lifetime.
Further, ―sin in the camp‖ can do a great deal
of unrepairable damage, ―Wisdom is better
than weapons of war: but one sinner
destroyeth much good.” (9:18)
55. “He that observeth the wind shall not sow;
and he that regardeth the clouds shall not
reap.” (11:4)
The unpredictable future can paralyze some
people into inaction. Conversely, if we are
waiting for a perfect situation before we
begin, we will never do anything.
56. “As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit,
nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her
that is with child: even so thou knowest not the
works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow
thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine
hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper,
either this or that, or whether they both shall be
alike good.” (11:5-6)
There are many things in this life that we do not
understand fully, or cannot even control, but this
should not keep us from working.
Solomon gave the example of the baby in the womb.
Even though we do not completely understand
everything about the development of the unborn child,
this doesn‘t keep us from having children.
57. Solomon next gives a short exhortation to the youth to
establish the proper order in their lives when they are young
and in the prime of life:
11:9-- Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart
cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of
thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that
for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.”
11:10a-- remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from
thy flesh:
Solomon also reminds them that what seems so important
when they are young is usually meaningless when viewed
from later in life, “for childhood and youth are vanity.” (11:10b)
58. “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy
youth, while the evil days come not, nor the
years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have
no pleasure in them” (12:1)
Perhaps most important of all, Solomon
encourages the youth to establish the proper
relationship with God at an early age.
Solomon then gives a series of metaphors that
provide a composite description of the
deterioration of the body as old age comes on to
emphasize our common journey of maturity, which
ends for everyone in death:
12:7– “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it
was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave
it.”
59. “Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is
vanity.” (12:8)
Solomon has come full circle. Nothing in his
search ‗under the sun‘ provided any lasting
significance or gave any true meaning to our
existence.
Just like our own culture today, Solomon
discovered that most people in his generation
lived in a superficial world of unreality.
60. However, Solomon resolves the book‘s
extensive inquiry into the meaning of life with
the single conclusion, “Fear God and Keep
His commandments, for this is the whole
duty of man” (12:13).
We are free to choose (choose this day…) but
Solomon also warns us, “For God shall bring
every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
(12:14)
61. Just so we don‘t miss the main
point…
Ecclesiastes affirms that meaning for life is not in life,
but in the One who gives life
Nothing can fill the void that is left in one‘s heart from
pursuing worldly endeavors such as power, popularity,
prestige, and pleasure. Only God can give us what we
really need. Further, far from being a bleak and
miserable existence, the life of the believer is to be
optimistic and cheerful. Once we see things from the
heavenly view, we can begin to enjoy life as it was
meant to be. With God in our lives, there is no more
despair and emptiness.
Ecclesiastes highlights the need we all have for
something beyond anything this physical life can offer
— to that which is made possible only by Jesus Christ
(John 4:7-14).