ECCLESIATES

Theme: Vanity, emptiness

Author: Solomon

Time: 9th century BC

• Ecclesiastes - the preacher

Key Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 1:13-14 ESV

13 And I applied my heart[] to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 ESV

13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with[] every secret thing, whether good or evil.

• True meaning - fear God and keep his commandments

Structure:

Chapter 1:1-1:11 - Introduction

Chapter 1:12-6:12 - The Vanity of All Things

Chapter 7:1-12:7 - Counsel Concerning Wisdom

Chapter 12:8-14 - Conclusion

Purpose of the Book:

1. Trust in God is the foundation of peace

2. Insecurity of trusting in anything else aside from God

3. God brings meaning to life

Message of the Book:

1. God is the essence of life and outside of him is either presumption or despair

• Humanism is where we have blind faith in progress because we put pride in ourselves. Nihilism, the suicide of society because of despair

• Dealing with sanity and what is sanity?

2. Without the ultimate meaning of life everything else in life becomes meaningless

• The little things don’t matter if the big thing doesn’t matter. Unless we have an ultimate sense of what is going on we will not have a purpose for the meaning of all the other things in life.

3. Duty of man is to worship God in faith and obedience

• Faith - fear, and recognition of God - Job, Noah, Abraham… even though you don’t know everything about God you can trust him through the general revelation of who he is

• How to stay sane in a crazy world.