10.06.21
Ecclesiastes—its Purpose
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. (2) Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. (3) What profit has a man of all his labor which he takes under the sun? (Ecclesiastes 1:1-3)
As we continue with our study of the Book of Ecclesiastes, we need to offer a word of caution. We must remember that it was written as though from the pen of a natural man seeking truth and the answers to life. The book is filled with pessimism and skepticism. One must be careful to not take isolated verses and build upon them. For example: (2:16, 17) For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool! (17) Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind. Would you wish to build your life on these isolated verses of gloom?
Another example, for your perusal, is (3:20-22).
Why did Solomon write Ecclesiastes? He did so for several reasons. Today we will take time to focus on some of the reasons Solomon wrote this unusual book.
First, it was an attempt to satisfy the human hunger to understand the meaning of life. Each of us being one of 8 billion people on this earth, and living a brief amount of time, what is life worth?
Second, it addresses the false notion that one’s work determines one’s worth. Work is surely important. But work without God is worthless.
Third, it seeks to convince the reader that a life that does not rise above human effort is vain. Man cannot find satisfaction only in this human life, ‘under the sun.’
Fourth, the book is a call to develop a God-centered life. By negative examples Solomon leaves God out of the picture, showing that a life without God ends in futility
Fifth, he endeavors to untangle a major puzzle of life—why can a person have everything the world has to offer and yet feel so empty?
And finally, he addresses young people, challenging them to reflect on the issues of life and choose to obey God. Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth. (11:1) He does not want others to waste their life going around in meaningless circles as he had done for many years. He hopes that his example can spare many people the pain that he experienced.
These are his purposes. What then are the major themes of the book? There are also six of them, and these we will plan to look at next time. You might want to take time to read through the book as we continue to prepare to study it.