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JESUS CHRIST
 I AM THAT I AM




                     ECCLESIASTE
                     S
            Let us study about life….
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.
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.
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).
   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).
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).
   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.
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
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.
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.
   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
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
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.
   “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)
   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
   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.
   “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
   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.
   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)
   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
   “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.
   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)
   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.
    “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!
   “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.
   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‖.
   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
   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)
   “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.
   “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.
   “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.
   “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).
   “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.”
   “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.
   “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)
   “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.
   “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
   “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.
   “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
   “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)
   “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.
   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.
   “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.
   “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)
   “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.
   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.
   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.
   “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.
   “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
   “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
   “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
   “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
   “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.
   “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)
   “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.
   “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.
   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)
   “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.”
   “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.
   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)
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).

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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).