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Ecclesiastes is one of the most unusual and misunderstood books of the Bible. It is often overlooked because it is perceived as a negative message. This book of wisdom cautions us that even wisdom has its limits.
Ecclesiastes calls its author “Qoheleth”, which means “Teacher”. There is no clear identification of who Qoheleth is, but the reader is meant to think of King Solomon while exploring the ideas of the book. The central concept of Ecclesiastes is summarized in the word “meaningless”. This is repeated at least two dozen times in the book. The author declares much of life to be meaningless and also explains why.
The Failure of Wisdom
There is always more that we can understand. And often, that knowledge brings us greater frustration and sorrow. We are limited because of our inherent nature, and we can never learn everything that is around us.
Foolishness
Qoheleth also shows us the foolishness of those who try to build their lives on gaining wealth, leaving a legacy, or building an empire.
Ecclesiastes 2:19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.
Despite our efforts, we will all die and our names will eventually be forgotten. Everyone dies and shares the same fate, regardless of whether we are wise or foolish, rich or poor, evil or wicked, or live a long or short life. Without the perspective of the New Testament, this view makes sense.
Advice from Ecclesiastes
If everything is meaningless, how should we live? This book encourages three lessons:
- Live in moderation. Why wear yourself out doing things that aren’t permanent?
- Be content. Learn to be a peace with where you are in life. Contentment is the opposite of struggling for fortune and fame.
- Accept the limits of our understanding, realizing that God is God and we are not. We must be able to surrender our understanding to God.
The Structure of Our Lives
Ecclesiastes challenges the way we structure our lives. We spend a lot of time and energy on what is temporary. We don’t realize that only God is permanent, and we don’t stop to realize the fleeting nature of our lives. Thus we miss out on the beauty of moderation and contentment.
The last section of the book is an epilogue written by a different author, looking back at Qoheleth’s experiences. This epilogue confirms the wisdom and reliability of Qoheleth’s teachings. It reminds us that, while we may not understand how everything works out, we can be sure that everything will be judged by God. As much emptiness as there may be in life, what we do and how we do it matters to God.
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-2. Knowing that “meaningless” is the central phrase of the book, do you expect a book like this to be in the Bible? Why or why not?
- How does it feel knowing that most of what you strive for in life is described as useless and “utterly meaningless”?
- Read Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 and 18-23. What is the writer’s perspective on working hard to advance in status and fortune? Why does he think so?
- Read Ecclesiastes 3:12, 22. What is the writer saying about life?
- Read Ecclesiastes 7:15-18. What type of lifestyle is the writer encouraging?
- What does a life of moderation and contentment look like? How do you encourage those characteristics in your life and in the lives of those around you?
- Read Ecclesiastes 12:9-14. This passage is written by someone else looking back at the writer of the book and his ideas. How does this passage evaluate the book’s teachings?
- This book encourages us to let go of things that don’t last and don’t count. Of the things you strive for in life, which are meaningless and which are lasting?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
