People have asked me why I decided to write a book on Ecclesiastes. A primary reason was that I find Ecclesiastes very fascinating because it is unafraid to pose difficult questions that many (both people of the Christian faith and those not tied to a particular faith) don’t normally consider.
To the people of faith, the writer of Ecclesiastes (probably King Solomon) tackles some perplexing issues. In chapter 5, he warns against a careless (or lackadaisical) attitude when you go to God’s house or make vows (or pray) to Him. He counsels not to be overly righteous or overly wicked in the next chapter. Then in chapter 9, he says the swift, the smart, and the strong don’t necessarily come out ahead but rather time and chance overtake them all. You don’t normally hear these topics discussed in Sunday sermons.
To the skeptic or the person who is so busy that he doesn’t have time for the Christian faith, Solomon has equally challenging thoughts. He talks about the man who has material wealth and has tried all sorts of material pleasures and says (from personal experience) that they don’t satisfy (chapter 2). Then in chapter 4, he speaks of the man who has accumulated more money than he can ever use and keeps slavishly pursuing more and more money without ever asking: “why in the world am I doing this”? And throughout Ecclesiastes, Solomon constantly reminds the reader that the end state is still going to be death, no matter how much wealth, power, and fame you have attained.
Lest one thinks Solomon is a “Donny Downer”, he has some words of encouragement that are a surprise to many. He counsels the reader to enjoy eating, drinking, and his labor because they are the gift of God (chapter 2) and because they will make his life sweet (chapter 6). And there are times when he gives really good advice regarding enjoying life with the “woman you love” (chapter 9) and on the strategy for making financial investments (chapter 11).
I hope these thoughts, and the comments and questions in A Layman’s Guide To Ecclesiastes will encourage you to pursue a personal study or small group study of Ecclesiastes.
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