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The Book of Ecclesiastes is amazing. It answers some of the most troubling questions we face as men and women.
If you're like me, these questions make you lie awake at night.
As a pastor, most of the heartfelt questions I get asked have to do with what is called the problem of evil: If God is sovereign, He is powerful enough to eliminate evil. If He is good, He would. Since evil clearly exists, God must not be sovereign or He must not be good.
At no point in the history of our country has this question become more real. I finished this book in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001. On that day a predator emerged from the jungle like we have never seen before.
Germany in the 1940s industrialized genocide and practiced it on a huge scale. The world responded and defeated this evil. On September 11, 2001, we saw terrorism emerge as an industry. This was the organized and purposeful killing of civilians to create terror. And it was on a scale that dwarfs anything that has come before. Now the world must rise up to stop this evil.
Even so, the specter of September 11 rises like a dark cloud over a God who purports to be both sovereign and good. Where was God on that Tuesday morning? Once again, like when Jesus walked on the water, men are crying out that He is a ghost.
How do we deal with an event as horrendous as the loss of more than three thousand lives and the destruction of those magnificent buildings? Is there any way there could be a purposeful or wise God who would allow such a thing?
Solomon understood that people have questions about God's existence. That's why he devoted two chapters of Ecclesiastes to atheism. But he also understood that those who believe in God will eventually have struggles as well. That's why he devoted ten chapters to the problems we have with God.
Solomon answered a basic question about life: How can we live by faith in a world that simply won't behave?
The answers that you will find in this book are the best you are ever going to get. The reason I am so confident is not because I wrote this book, but because this book is simply an explanation of God's wisdom from Ecclesiastes.
Throughout human history, men and women have struggled with the same basic questions. If God made us, it makes sense that He would not leave us in the dark about things that are so important to us. That's why He called Solomon to write the Book of Ecclesiastes.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon not only dealt with the problem of evil but also with other tough questions in life. These questions have puzzled philosophers and logicians for thousands of years and have probably been troubling you as well. These questions go to the very core of who we are.
Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite books in the Bible. I love it for many reasons but mainly because it does for life what the Song of Solomon does for love, sex, and romance.1 Ecclesiastes gives answers to questions that are not answered anywhere else.
If ever there was a man who could find meaning outside of God, it was Solomon. In terms of intelligence, industry, and accomplishments, he had it all. Solomon used these gifts to accumulate wealth, discover knowledge, and experience pleasure. And he didn't do it in moderation but excess. If Solomon couldn't discover the secret to life, it can't be done.
Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes at the end of his life. I believe the Song of Solomon was written at the beginning of his life, Proverbs in the middle, and Ecclesiastes after he had failed and repented. This book contains the reflections of a man who played the fool, who had it all and lost it all, and then discovered what was worth having anyway.
In Ecclesiastes, the covenant name of God, Yahweh, is never used. Instead, Solomon refers to God euphemistically by other references and names. Some scholars believe that this book is written intentionally with the nonbeliever in mind. Ecclesiastes addresses someone who has sincere questions about life and the nature of God. It's a book to the nations. And it is certainly a book for our generation.
In Hebrew, the Book of Ecclesiastes is called Qoheleth, or the Preacher. Solomon is not just a philosopher in the sense of a thinker; he takes on the role of God's spokesman to herald what the truth is.
The world's view of wisdom is personified in Rodin's “The Thinker.” Biblical wisdom is personified in Solomon, “the Preacher.” He's not like so many modern philosophers who pontificate about what might be true; instead, he tells us the facts of life. And these facts instruct us how to live even when faced with continuous disappointment.
Solomon begins with the position that life is vain. He does not mean that it is totally meaningless or that it doesn't have any ultimate purpose. By vain, he means that you live for sixty or maybe seventy years and then you're gone. Someone gives away all your possessions and the things that really matter to you are sold for one dollar at a garage sale.
Life just doesn't have any natural reward of itself. It doesn't automatically head to a climactic point of happiness, meaning, and fruition. It just grinds on with the sun rising and setting. Nature never rewards you; instead, it smashes you into pulp, then you die and go into the ground.
All of your possessions that nobody wants end up in a garbage bag. In that sense, man is a vapor and life is vain. A generation comes and goes and you are forgotten. It's like you never existed.
Mark Twain said, “The world will lament you for an hour and forget you forever.” Solomon begins with the same observation: Life passes, and instead of rewarding you it grinds you up.
Solomon systematically works through all of our human attempts to define meaning. The book is not linear, so at first glance to our Western eyes, it does appear to be a random collection of proverbs. But there is a very logical progression to it. Because Solomon is writing from the perspective of an ancient Middle Eastern person, he covers his material by “spiraling” through it instead of moving in a straight line. Still, as we will see, each major section of Ecclesiastes builds on the one before.
Solomon starts Ecclesiastes by describing his efforts at intellectualism. He works through hedonism. Finally he examines materialism.
This process reminds me of so many college students today. During their freshman year, they seek intellectual pursuits and just enjoy the thrill of learning. But by the end of the year, they pledge a fraternity or sorority, then pursue hedonism at full speed for their sophomore year. By the end of that year, they flunk out, repent, go to summer school, come back, and try to learn what they need to know to make a million dollars. That's materialism.
Solomon examines the best thoughts of men and, for every one of them, shows us why they won't work. He proves that in and of themselves these ideas cannot satisfy; they are unable to bring ultimate happiness and meaning to man in his human condition.
Solomon tells us that there is nothing in man that is good. By definition man will have to go outside of himself to find something infinite and whole. In the end, man has to look to God.
And the book doesn't end there—in some ways it gets worse. Someone who believes in God would read the first few chapters and agree with everything Solomon says. The problem is that we will be tempted to quit right there. But then he tells you that just because you're a believer doesn't mean you're not going to have troubles. He shows that bad things happen to the righteous and good things happen to the wicked.
Life is filled with inequality. It can be just as troubling and problematic being a believer in God as being an unbeliever. Even those who believe in God don't end up with all the answers. Instead they often end up puzzled.
Fortunately, Solomon shows us how to make it with a God who doesn't always live up to our errant expectations. In the end, the book is not pessimistic but hopeful.
Solomon ends every section with answers for the questions he has raised. As a matter of fact, Solomon gives the same basic answer seven times. It's a troubling answer, but it's also a simple one. Believe it or not, seven times the answer is to have fun and enjoy the life that God has given.
If you are struggling with the deep questions of life, come with me on a journey into the very heart of man. Read with the eyes of faith, and I think you will see that we are listening to the wisdom of God.
Following the Logic of Solomon
I. A Critique of Life: Chapters 1-2
Life grinds to nothingness, but man keeps searching (1:1-11).
Intellectualism, hedonism, materialism (1:12-2:11)
Although wisdom is better, all still die (2:12-16).
Thus he despaired (2:17-23).
Conclusion: Apart from God, there can be no life.
Man in himself cannot find meaning (2:24-26).
II. A Critique of Belief and of Life with God: 3:1-15
He decrees pain as well as pleasure (3:1-11).
So enjoy the moment now (3:12-15).
III. The Conflicts of Belief: 3:16-4:16
Inequity, oppression, rivalry, materialism, and popularity
IV. Be Cautious about Impertinence toward God: 5:1-7
Be careful how you approach, speak to, and “bargain with”
our mysterious God.
V. Be Correct in Perspective: 5:8-7:29
Wealth: Don't be deceived when the wicked increase; wealth
won't satisfy (5:8-6:12).
Adversity: Hard times are not bad; they shape us (7:1-14).
Yourself: Be humble; you can't know all things (7:15-29).
VI. Be Courageous in Life: 8:1-12:14
Be bold in doing right even if you're not rewarded
(8:1-10:20).
Be bold in living even though you can't control all things
(11:1-6).
Be bold in enjoying life although death will come
(11:7-12:8).
VII. A Creedal Statement: 12:9-14
God has revealed Himself to us through His Word.
1. To see how Solomon applies God's wisdom to the areas of love, sex, and intimacy, see my study on the Song of Solomon entitled The Book of Romance (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998).